Falcons clip Chargers face Pajaro Valley tonight

What a difference halftime can make.
After taking his troops into the locker room last Friday night against Leland High School while down 27-21, Scotts Valley High coach Louie Walters and defensive coordinator Jeff Metter had to figure out how to stiffen a defense that let the Chargers move the ball almost at will in the first half.
Their solution? Think less, hit more.
“We said, ‘Let’s go back to playing football instead of over-thinking,’” Walters said. So they sidelined some of the Falcons’ more complex defensive arrangements, and a newly physical Scotts Valley defense allowed Leland to score only on a kickoff return for a touchdown amid a 20-point second-half Falcon barrage that sealed a 41-34 win.
Walters said Scotts Valley’s rigorous conditioning program also paid dividends, in the fourth quarter in particular.
“Our kids are in such great shape that we wore them out,” he said. “We were tired, too, but late in the game, they were dragging and we weren’t.”
Quarterback Blake Jurich led the way for Scotts Valley, going 11-16 for 199 yards and throwing three touchdowns.
His favorite target was Aldin Barrett, who had 10 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow receiver Ryan Estrada also caught a 61-yard touchdown pass as part of the aerial assault. The Falcon ground game was impressive, too, as Jake Bergman scored two touchdowns and rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries, while Nick Mannina scored one touchdown.
The Falcons don’t have time to rest on their laurels, however. They will once again face a larger school Friday, Sept. 18, when they take on the 2-0 Pajaro Valley Grizzlies. Coach Mike Palmer said he has the best team his school has fielded in the six-year history of the program, and it boasts plenty of experience, with more than 90 percent of last year’s squad returning.
In particular, the Grizzlies are expected to pound the run from their wing-T formation using a talented fleet of ball carriers. Halfback Moe Strickling has recorded 238 rushing yards this year on 36 carries, fullback Estabon Narez has 151 yards on 28 attempts, and David Gallardo has 142 yards on 27 carries.
They’re protected by a big offensive line with two 270-pound-plus anchors in Eddie Sumano and Sammy Salazar.
“We want to get an identity as a team that can stop the run,” Walters says of Friday’s contest against Pajaro Valley. “These guys are bigger than us, so it will be a good gut-check (for) our defense.”