Saratoga News

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Saratoga's Tyler Kellogg gets a hug from teammate Kyle Cardin after scoring a touchdown in the 23-7 win over Pioneer in the CCS opener last weekend.

Falcons open with muddy win

Saratoga backs run well despite bad conditions

By Dick Sparrer

Mike Machado thought that his Saratoga backs could run a bit when the Falcons met Pioneer in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs.

He thought that all week as his club prepared for the CCS opener. Then he saw the field Friday night.

Two days of rain had left Helm Field at Los Gatos looking more like a quagmire than a football field. And suddenly, Machado was more than a little concerned.

"We told the kids we thought we could run the ball," he said, "but then I saw the field and I wasn't sure. This is kind of an equalizer."

As it turns out, Machado's worries were unfounded. The Saratoga backs, thoroughbreds all season long, turned out to be mudders, too. The Falcons ran up 284 yards on the muddy turf on the way to a 23-7 victory over the Mustangs.

"We practiced at least two days in these conditions on our field," the coach added. "We just told the kids they had to keep upright, keep their shoulders square and keep their legs moving."

Trent Frisina, John Herndon and Tyler Kellogg certainly did just that. Frisina romped for 102 yards on 17 carries, Herndon ripped off 85 yards on seven tries and Kellogg added 69 yards on 10 attempts to lead the Falcons to the victory.

The win pushes Saratoga into the CCS Division IV semifinals against San Lorenzo Valley on Nov. 30, 2 p.m., at De Anza College. San Lorenzo Valley is 9-0-2 this season after opening the playoffs with a 35-14 win over Terra Nova. The Falcons take an 8-3 record into the game.

Machado would certainly like to see better field conditions for the Saturday game. But if it's sloppy again? Well, the Falcons certainly know how to run in the mud.

"They did a good job of keeping their feet in traffic," Machado said.

Herndon kept his feet well enough to run for two touchdowns, one on offense and the other on defense, and Kellogg also ran in for a score.

The Falcons led 13-0 at intermission and went up 21-0 on the first play of the second half.

Ben Martin returned the Saratoga kickoff 35 yards to his own 48 to give the Mustangs good field position, but on the first play from scrimmage Brian Carroll came across the line hard to meet the Pioneer fullback head-on.

Carroll forced a fumble, and Herndon caught the ball in mid air, then raced 46 yards for what appeared to be a back-breaking touchdown.

But Pioneer battled back.

Martin carried twice for 11 yards and caught a pass for 14, and quarterback Justin Stenger also hit Nathan Jackson for 26 yards and Ryan Miksch for 14 to get the Mustangs to the two.

Saratoga held firm on two plays, but Leigh Mayer blasted over from the one on third down to cut the lead to 21-7.

Pioneer threatened again after picking off a Falcon pass in Saratoga territory. But this time the 'Toga defense held firm.

The Mustangs had a first down at the Saratoga 22, but David Goni broke up a pass, a second toss fell incomplete, Shaun O'Connor blasted Stenger to force a third incomplete pass and a fourth-down pass for Miksch netted just a yard when Herndon came up to make a crushing stick.

Saratoga took over on downs, and Pioneer never threatened again. But Machado gave a lot of credit to his foe.

"They do a good job," Machado said of Pioneer. "They fought us for four quarters. They deserve a lot of credit."

The Falcons took the early lead in a first quarter filled with turnovers.

Saratoga drove to the Pioneer three on its first possession, only to lose the football on a fumble. But the Falcons got the ball right back when Ross Hanson forced a fumble and James Choe recovered at the Pioneer 23.

After Frisina picked up three yards, Herndon raced through a huge hole in the left side for 20 yards and a touchdown. Kellogg kicked the extra point, and the Falcons were up 7-0 with 2:42 left in the period.

"Our left side really did well," Machado said of his offensive front, singling out tackle Alex Fields and guard Greg Graham. Center Greg Pagonis, guard Miles Kihara, tackle Kyle Cardin and tight end Joe Brady also played well for the Falcons.

Pioneer finished the quarter in control of the football after a pass interception, but then the clubs traded the wet football on fumbles.

The Falcons took over at the Pioneer 31 with 7:20 left in the half, but a clipping call pushed them back to the 41.

Goni tossed to Brady for 10 yards and Frisina ran for eight before Kellogg went to work. The fullback gained three for the first down, 12 for another first, and then went the final eight for the touchdown.

The Mustangs moved the ball down the field after the kickoff and faced a first-and-goal at the nine. They reached the one before Brian Carroll recovered a fumbled snap to end the threat.

Herndon scored early in the third period, and Ryan Bernard ran in for the two-point conversion to give the Falcons the 21-0 lead.

Saratoga closed out the scoring, and virtually iced the win, when a Pioneer punt snap went out the end zone for a fourth-quarter safety.

Herndon, Brian Carroll and Brennan Carroll were the defensive leaders for the Falcons in the win. Herndon led the club with seven tackles and a fumble recovery, and Brian Carroll had six tackles, including one that forced a fumble and a quarterback sack. He also recovered a fumble.

Brennan Carroll got in on five stops, including a pair of sacks, and Hanson, Choe and Mike Black were in on four tackles each.

Cardin, Sean Hanley, Jordan Eshelman, Goni, O'Connor and Jack Huang were other defensive leaders for the Falcons, and Troy Cardin and Matt Quan were also in on tackles.

Hanley supported the Saratoga effort on the ground with three carries for 15 yards, and Goni added 13 yards on three attempts. Goni completed just 1 of 4 passes for 10 yards, hitting Brady.