Scotts Valley High football coach Louie Walters intentionally packed his team’s early-season schedule with quality opponents this year, figuring some early pain in the win-loss column will translate into a tougher Falcons team for the league play to follow.
“We could have scheduled weaker opponents, but it wouldn’t have gotten us better,” Walters said after a Sept. 4 loss.
Following the 35-14 defeat by Alice High in Texas, Scotts Valley has another challenge in store Friday, Sept. 11, as the Falcons face the Leland Chargers in San Jose, a 1,900-student school.
Against Alice High, the Falcons had scoring opportunities and racked up 332 yards on offense, but costly miscues doomed the effort. One 50-yard run by quarterback Blake Jurich to the Coyotes’ 4-yard line was called back on a holding penalty. The Falcons fumbled the ball away at the 2-yard line on another occasion, one of three turnovers on the night. And the team’s receivers, normally sure-handed, dropped at least half a dozen catchable, albeit rain-soaked, passes from Jurich.
“We can’t make mistakes like that and expect to beat anybody,” Walters said.
After trailing 21-0, the Falcons showed their game in the fourth quarter, when halfback Jake Bergman ran 53 yards for a touchdown on a reverse. Following another Alice touchdown, Bergman scored again on a 63-yard hook-and-ladder play that went from Jurich to wideout Aldin Barrett and back to Bergman. The Falcons marched to the Alice 6-yard line, hoping to pull within a touchdown, but a dropped pass on third-and-goal and a failure on fourth down sealed the Falcons’ fate.
When Scotts Valley faced Leland last fall, the Falcons finished on top, 10-7, after a late field goal. But this year’s improved Chargers promise to pressure the Falcon defense.
Leland boasts a trio of three-year starters on its offensive line in Michael Economy, Alex Rorie and Sean Dallen. Walters says they’re all Division I college prospects, as is Chargers wide receiver and safety Ryan Smith.
Leland blew out Prospect High 42-7 on Sept. 4. Smith scored for the Chargers on offense and defense, snagging a 43-yard touchdown pass and taking an interception to the end zone from 36 yards out. He finished with 145 receiving yards to complement a Leland running attack that racked up 259 rushing yards, 103 of which came from Vinnie Gemette on only 13 carries.
“We know we have our hands full against Leland,” Walters said. “It’ll be good to see how our kids respond.”
