Throughout his high school football career, San Lorenzo Valley senior Jack Dagan had never beaten rival Scotts Valley.
That all changed this past weekend as the Cougars’ starting quarterback marched his team down the field en route to a 14-7 victory against the Falcons on Sept. 14.
“It’s just a big boost for our team morale. We haven’t beaten those guys in seven years, so it was a big win,” Dagan said.
The last time SLV got the best of Scotts Valley was a 7-6 win in 2017.
SLV head coach Dave Grant commended Dagan for having great control of the offense and knowing when to step up to make plays, including midway through the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.
Dagan rifled a pass to senior receiver Riley Johnson in the end zone for the go-ahead score with seven minutes remaining in the game.
“[Dagan’s] moving in the pocket and throwing the football like I did not know that he could do that until just recently. He’s just getting better each week,” Grant said. “He just has this confidence, but it’s like a calm confidence. As coaches, we just love what he brings.”
The Cougars are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2016, and the lone team in Santa Cruz County with an unblemished overall record.
“We’re working these guys hard in practice, and it’s not in an angry way,” Grant said. “They’re fighting for each other and I felt like you saw that out there today.”
Johnson had one of the biggest games of his young career. On a fourth-and-5 play, instead of punting the ball, Grant gave Johnson the green light to go for the sticks and converted for the first down.
The Cougars didn’t put up any points after a missed field goal attempt on that drive, but it helped with field position. Two plays later, Johnson stepped in front of Ryder Quilici’s pass for the interception and took it down to Scotts Valley’s 1-yard line.
Sophomore Justin Griffiths then bulldozed his way into the end zone that gave SLV a 7-0 lead going into halftime.
The Cougars’ defense held the Falcons scoreless until the third quarter when they tied the score at 7-all. Grant was already anticipating a battle on the field and knew it’d come down to whoever has the ball last.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Dagan tossed a 30-yard lob to senior Jordan Renteria, who out-jumped a Falcons defender to snatch the ball for a key first down.
“It shows our guys want to freaking compete. As a coach, I just love seeing the fight in them,” Grant said.
On the ensuing play, Dagan used his legs to roll out and connected with Johnson for the game-winning touchdown.
Dagan said this has been a perfect way to begin the season. And the recipe for success is simple: play as a family and do their jobs.
“O-line is doing great, running backs. Our defense has only allowed three touchdowns, and that’s really key to all of this winning,” he said.
SLV’s defense shutdown reigning Central Coast Section Division V champion South San Francisco, holding them to just one TD on defense. And the same went for Gunderson and Scotts Valley, which has now lost two straight to drop to a 1-2 overall record this season.
The Falcons will attempt to regroup before taking on Soquel (1-2) in the teams’ non-league finale Sept. 21 at 2pm.
Grant mentioned another huge turning point for them Saturday was being able to run the clock out with the lead. It’s a situation most of the Cougars players aren’t used to being in.
“Nobody in our football program is thinking that we’re world beaters. It’s one game at a time and we still have a lot to prove,” Grant said. “We’re definitely excited to be 3-0 but we know we gotta play every week. Everybody’s gonna be a tough game, especially Greenfield.”
Next up, the Cougars (3-0) will wrap up their preseason portion of the schedule against Greenfield (2-1) in Felton on Sept. 21 at 2:30pm.
SLV begins Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division play at Harbor (1-1) on Oct. 4 at 7:30pm.
