The Willow Glen Resident

Willow Glen in CCS playoffs

Rams to open in Burlingame

By Dick Sparrer

Like most other Bay Area football fans, Bob Parker spent most of the day on Sunday watching football on television.

But unlike most other football fans in the Bay Area, Parker wasn't watching the San Francisco 49ers play Carolina.

Parker had his TV hooked to the VCR to watch the Burlingame football team on videotape. Because he isn't a football fan following the 49ers--he's a football coach preparing for the Central Coast Section Division III play-offs.

Parker's Willow Glen football team will open the playoffs against Burlingame this week, and the veteran coach spent his Sunday watching the Rabbits on film. And he discovered they certainly do have a few "Rabbits" who can hop across the field with the football.

"They're pretty good," Parker said of Burlingame after watching the tapes. They have a guy [Onan Reyes] who has over 2,000 yards rushing, and they have other guys who can run the ball and catch it.

"We run a 4-4, and that's what we'd run against them, anyway," he added.

The Rams will visit Burlingame on Nov. 22, 7 p.m. The Rabbits have won nine straight games since a season-opening loss to Serra.

Willow Glen takes an 8-2 season record into the first round of the playoffs. The Rams wrapped up the league season at 5-1 with a 30-8 win over Santa Teresa last Friday.

The Rams opened up a 30-0 lead by the half and coasted from there to the important win. Willow Glen needed the victory to clinch a place in the playoffs.

Willow Glen struck quickly in the game. Shaun Thompson picked off a pass on just Santa Teresa's second play from scrimmage. He pitched to Cory Hare as he was going down, and Hare added an additional 20 yards on the return to get the Rams into scoring position.

David Machi fired a 22-yard touchdown pass to John Fernandez, and Macchi passed to Miguel Campos for the two-point conversion to give the Rams a comfortable 8-0 lead.

"It was nice to be up 8-0," the coach said.

Willow Glen moved right in for another touchdown, Dewitt Willis capping a drive when he blasted over from the one. Macchi scrambled in for the two-pointer, and the Rams led 16-0.

It was something of a circus play that set up Willow Glen's next touchdown. Willis took a pitch from Macchi and started to sweep. He stopped to throw back to Macchi, but the ball squirted out of his hand and went straight up in the air. Willis caught his own "pass" and raced 25 yards down to the one. He crashed over for the touchdown on the next play to put the Rams up 22-0.

A 50-yard pass from Macchi to Hare set up the final Willow Glen touchdown of the day. Macchi snuck over from the one for the TD, then threw to Campos for two.

Macchi ended up hitting on 12 of 16 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in the win. Fernandez pulled in three passes for 59 yards, Hare two for 52, Nich Holt two for 10, Campos two for four, Ricky Jackman two for 22, Nick Nelson one for 11 and Greg Barone one for 10. Cory Warren completed the 10-yard toss to Barone.

Willis led the ground attack for the Rams with 53 yards on 15 carries.

Parker praised the defensive work of Jared Gangloff. Hare and Thompson each intercepted Santa Teresa passes and Brian Hyland recovered a fumble.

Frosh-sophers win

The Willow Glen frosh-soph team finished with an unbeaten record in the Santa Teresa Division with a 28-13 win over Santa Teresa.

Leon Thomas rambled for 150 yards, including a pair of 50-yard touchdown runs and a 10-yard TD dash.

Ray Farias scored on a 22-yard run for the Rams and pulled in pass from Will Rideau for a two-point conversion.

Willow Glen ended the year 8-2 overall, and 6-0 in the division. It marked the third straight year the Rams have been undefeated in league play.

Mustangs win title

Leigh Mayer ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and Greg Haskell tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Herbert Jackson to lift Pioneer to 27-7 win over Valley Christian in the championship game in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Mayer scored on runs of 64 and five yards, and Mike Wiens blasted over from the one for another touchdown in the Pioneer win. Ryan Miksch finished the day with 124 yards rushing and Wiens added 40 yards. Brian Sturges drilled three extra-point kicks for Pioneer.

Paul Purdy came through with a key fourth-quarter interception that all but ended the Warriors hopes for a comeback. Casey Olsen, Rob Basuino, Kevin Gelardi, Grant Murdock, Ryan Brown, Ryan Sexauer, Adam Osti and Nick Ruocchio were other key defensive players for the Mustangs.

Center Paul Howell, guards Jason Murdock and Basuino, and tackles Brian Eddie, Jeremy Atkinson and Kevin Sparrer led the charge in the offensive line.

The win left the Mustangs 6-0 in the division and 8-1-1 for the year heading into the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs. Pioneer opens the playoffs at Robert Louis Stevenson in Pebble Beach on Nov. 22, 2 p.m.

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]