Saratoga News

Photograph by George Sakkestad

The Saratoga defense swarms on this Homestead running back in last Friday night's De Anza Division game. The Falcons played tough defensively against the Mustangs but lost a 7-0 heartbreaker to see their playoff hopes come to an end.

Tough year ends for Falcons

Prospect moves on to CCS Division II playoffs

By Dick Sparrer

It's been a difficult year for the Saratoga football team.

The Falcons won the Central Coast Section Division IV championship last fall, but their hopes to repeat have slammed into hurdle after hurdle.

First, Saratoga lost many of the stars of last year's championship team to graduation. That was hurdle No. 1.

Then, Saratoga lost its head coach when Mike Machado left the Falcons to take the job as head coach at Valley Christian. That was hurdle No. 2.

A very capable Tim Tramp left Harbor High to take over the program as the new head coach at Saratoga. But no sooner did Tramp's first season begin at Saratoga, then--bam--three key players went down with season-ending injuries. And that was the toughest hurdle of them all.

But the Falcons persevered. They struggled to a rocky 1-5 start in the 1997 season, but they rallied for three straight victories to actually get themselves back into position for a possible return to the CCS playoffs.

All Saratoga needed to get a shot at the play-offs was a victory over Homestead on the final night of the regular.

But judging by the way the '97 season has gone for the Falcons, it's almost apropos that Saratoga lost a 7-0 heartbreaker to the Mustangs to wind up 4-6 for the year and 2-4 in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

The Falcons had put themselves in playoff contention with a rousing 27-6 win over Monta Vista a week earlier.

Senior quarterback Michael Black carried eight times for 130 yards and a touchdown and completed 13 of 22 passes for 202 yards and another TD to lead the Falcons to the important win.

Black took off on a 65-yard touchdown run in the first period, then tossed a two-yard scoring pass to tight end Cory Schwaderer to help the Falcons jump out to an early lead.

Paul Kim blasted over for a pair of touchdowns, and Eric Bickenbach kicked three extra points to round out the scoring for Saratoga.

Black hit Schwaderer four times for 91 yards and tossed to Tyler Hooper three times for 34 yards, Brent Colman three times for 27 and Andre Sorba twice for 50.

But as good as the offense was in the win over the Matadors, the defense was equal to the task.

Matt McKenna, Alex Foster, Louis Petrossi, Brady Moran and Brian Cavanaugh led the charge in the defensive line for the Falcons, and linebackers Troy Cardin, Erik Rutgers, Daniel Arriaga, Raymond Goni and Andrew West were key defensive players.

Hooper, Black, Danny Myers and Pat Brady starred in the secondary for the Falcons, limiting the Matadors to just three pass completions.

Black, Moran and McKenna each recovered Monta Vista fumbles in the win.

Things didn't go quite as well for the Falcons against the Mustangs, though. The Saratoga defense still was solid, holding Homestead to just one touchdown. But that was all Homestead needed to claim the 7-0 win and end all Saratoga hopes of a playoff berth.

Black had another big night for the Falcons, completing 11 of 20 passes for 125 yards. He hit Hooper eight times for 106 yards.

Panthers in play-offs

The Falcons may have missed a playoff berth, but Saratoga will be represented in the post-season.

Prospect won the championship in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and will advance to the CCS Division II playoffs.

The Panthers, 9-0-1 for the year and 6-0 in their division, will open the playoffs on Nov., 21, 7 p.m., against Overfelt at Westmont. The Royals (4-6) won an at-large berth in the play-offs.

Prospect is coming off of a crushing 47-7 victory over Andrew Hill in the final regular season game for each team.

The Panthers needed the victory to secure sole ownership of the division championship, and they clinched it in easy fashion.

Mike Suarez helped Prospect jump out to an early lead with a 45-yard touchdown run in the first period. Brandon Delgado kicked the extra point and it was 7-0 after a quarter.

It didn't stay that way for long. Prospect scored three times in the second period to take a commanding 26-0 lead by the half.

Sensational senior wide receiver Matt Heling pulled in a 51-yard touchdown pass from standout senior quarterback Justin Williams to make it 13-0. Casey Macartney scooped up a Hill fumble and raced for 39 yards for a touchdown, then Suarez scored from five yards out. Delgado converted again, and it was 26-0 at intermission.

A 32-yard TD toss from Williams to Tim Haney, a 35-yard touchdown run by Craig Malloy and a 47-yard scoring aerial from Williams to Heling closed out the scoring for the Panthers.

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