Scotts Valley senior Vaughn Chomentowski had a chance to put away last week’s regular season finale, but instead he lost a fumble right near the goal line.
Rather than pouting his lips, the mighty running back got some redemption with the help of the defense just a few plays later.
Chomentowski scored his lone touchdown of the evening in the Falcons’ 28-14 win against St. Francis in Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division-North action Nov. 8.
Scotts Valley, winners of four straight, finished with a 4-1 record in league play and clinched an automatic postseason berth for placing second in the division.
“It’s everything we’ve ever wanted,” said Chomentowski, who finished with 90 rushing yards and the one score. “This morning I woke up and I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be our last day of playing football. But for it to actually come true, it’s an absolute dream.”
The Falcons earned the No. 6 seed in the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs. They play at No. 3 Lincoln (7-3, 2-3) of San Jose on Friday at 7pm.
The Lions placed fourth in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division with a 2-3 record in league play. They are ranked No. 25 in the Max Preps CCS rankings, while Scotts Valley (8-2, 4-1) is ranked No. 28.
“Anytime you get to the playoffs it’s always pretty special because there’s a lot of teams that turned their pads in today,” Scotts Valley head coach Louie Walters said. “We get another week together.”
St. Francis dropped to 3-2 to close out the Mission Division-North campaign, and a shot to extend their season for one more week.
“I just don’t think we fully executed, and it’s kind of been our story, or our M.O., for the entire year,” St. Francis head coach John Ausman said.
Senior Joseph Dayrit tallied a team-best 32 rushing yards on 10 carries, while teammate senior Coy Jordan finished with 27 rushing yards and one touchdown that tied the score at 7-all in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Sharks took their first lead of the game at 14-7 when junior quarterback Max Madrigal tossed it to junior receiver Keon Barcinas-Hill for a 15-yard touchdown.
And just like that, the game was slowly turning into an old school boxing match as both teams exchanged blows like a pair of heavyweight fighters.
Scotts Valley senior quarterback Caden Kilpatrick responded by marching his team down the field on their ensuing drive. He hit senior receiver Isaac Currie with a 45-yard floater that set them up in the red zone on St. Francis’ 15-yard line.
Kilpatrick capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Seamus Drees, tying the score back up at 14-all going into halftime.
“The kids were focused, they knew this was a big game,” Walters said. “St. Francis, that’s a good football team. John [Ausman] does an amazing job over there.”
Coming out of the break, Chomentowski was dealing with leg cramps which forced him to sit out most of the third quarter. That’s when senior Colin Murphy stepped in for his ailing teammate.
“There’s no point in trying to force myself to be in with the cramp. I’m not very much help to the team,” Chomenstowski said. “Trust in your teammates.”
Murphy put the Falcons back ahead at 21-14 following a spectacular 72-yard dash up the middle and into the end zone.
The elusive tailback found his way through a hole the size of California that was initially created by senior lineman Fabricio Ore-Gomez.
“[Murphy] has that giant run, go up a touchdown, and it’s alright,” Ausman said. “Then they [Scotts Valley] get the fourth down stop to start the fourth quarter…they executed, and we didn’t. At the end of the day that is the game of football. When it’s an old school boxing match, the team that finishes it is gonna win it.”
Scotts Valley’s defense was just as effective in the second half.
One of their biggest momentum-changing moments came early in the fourth quarter when Falcon lineman Casey Gates stopped Jordan just before the line of gain on a 4th down play.
After the fumble lost by Chomentowski, the defense came through once again midway in the final stanza.
Teammate senior linebacker Jake Locatelli jumped in front of Madrigal’s pass attempt for the interception, keeping the second-half shutout alive and well.
“It’s a lot of pride, we really want to win,” said Locatelli about not allowing St. Francis to score in the final two quarters. “It takes dedication and we always work every day as hard as we can to win. It’s whoever wants it most in the end.”
A frightening moment occurred when St. Francis junior lineman Tahj Norteye went down and hit the turf with an undisclosed injury.
The game was delayed for about 30 minutes before he was taken off the field on an ambulance stretcher by emergency medical technicians.
After both teams returned to the field, Scotts Valley ran the clock out en route to victory, and a trip back into the CCS playoffs.
They missed the postseason in 2024 after they reached the D-III semifinals against Alisal just a year prior. The Falcons have never reached the championship game in the program’s 26-year history.
“I’m looking forward to trying to go as far as we can,” Locatelli said. “This year is gonna be different. I feel like we’re gonna go far because this team is so close, and we’re such a family. We have all the skill and talent that we ever need.”
