Willow Glen Resident
Sports
Rams run past Royals for third league win
By Eli Segall
When you're 5-foot-9, it's easy to get lost in the crowd. But for Willow Glen wide receiver Eliseo Anaya, the crowd is simply left in his dust.
In Willow Glen's Oct. 14 league game against Overfelt, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Anaya returned a kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown, halfway through his team's 28-7 home field victory.
The Rams senior, helped by a wall of blockers, squashed any hopes of resurgence from Overfelt, who just 16 seconds earlier had cut the Rams lead in half.
"Eliseo's a smooth, fast runner. Not a lot of people can catch him," said Willow Glen head coach Andy Penwarden. "That return was something special."
Anaya's run contributed to a strong team performance, as the Rams record jumped to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Willow Glen's defense churned out big plays both up front and downfield throughout the game. The squad powered through for five sacks and forced several passes that fell helplessly to the turf. Defensive backs sealed off passing lanes by practically stapling themselves to the wide receivers.
One play that drew cheers from the crowd came in the fourth quarter from senior Francisco Vargas. The Rams had just scored a touchdown, and on the ensuing kick-off, Vargas broke through a crowd of Royals and slammed himself into the return runner at the 10-yard line.
"That was a single-leg takedown," joked Penwarden, referring to a Greco-Roman-style wrestling move. The coach said Vargas is indeed a varsity wrestler at Willow Glen.
"They needed to drive the length of the field, but he ran down there and made a great stop," Penwarden added.
The contest started off like a pinball game. On its first possession, Willow Glen advanced 12 yards before fumbling the snap, which Overfelt recovered. On the very next play, Overfelt fumbled the snap, which Willow Glen recovered.
These fumbles were followed by two consecutive punts between the teams.
Willow Glen hit the scoreboard first. Quarterback Juan Baron faked a hand-off to senior Marcos Garces, which pulled the defense left, while sophomore Mike Gibilisco sped off in the opposite direction, running 32 yards for a touchdown at 2:46 of the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive, the Willow Glen defense showed an intensity it would display all game.
The Royals tried to run up the middle, but linebacker Grant Morrow plugged the hole and registered the first of five tackles. Two plays later, seniors Matt Reiton and Sam Canchola came from the backfield to stick the running back with a four-yard loss. Two plays after that, the runner hit a Rams defensive wall, spun around to retreat, but was hunted down by junior Charlie Findeisen for a six-yard loss.
It was only the beginning. Unfortunately for Overfelt, the Corey Kingston Show was on next.
On the very next play, the senior plowed through for a sack and an eight-yard loss. The play after that, he again nailed the quarterback, who sent a pass to no one just before hitting the ground. When Overfelt lined up to punt, Kingston charged through and came within inches of blocking the kick.
"Corey played well today," Penwarden said. "He's part of a unit that's fast, runs to the ball well and plays with a lot of heart."
Willow Glen began the next march downfield on its own 24-yard line. Baron connected on two passes, one to senior Marcus Turner and the other to senior Anthony Doan, to lead the advance. Running backs Garces and Doan took turns carrying the ball as linemen Jose Gutierrez and Like Ahmed cleared holes with punishing blocks.
After Gibilisco powered through for first down on fourth and two, Garces ran it home at 3:35 of the second quarter, the first of his two touchdowns. Junior Ricky Martinez kicked the extra point, giving the Rams a 13-0 lead.
Willow Glen amassed 275 all-purpose yards, thanks in large part to Garces, who carried 17 times for 76 yards.
On the Royals next possession, the team connected on a pass to move into Rams territory. But Willow Glen held the line; senior Uriel Basilio tripped up the running back for a two-yard loss, and on the next play, junior Omar Hernandez barreled through for a sack, a four-yard loss.
Yet the Royals fought through, and with 35.9 seconds remaining in the half, connected on a touchdown pass, which brought the score to 13-7.
But the visiting team watched its momentum vanish with Anaya's field-length sprint. Baron took the extra-point snap and ran it in for a two-point conversion, bringing the lead to 21-7 with only 19.7 seconds to go in the second quarter.
Findeisen made sure to rub some salt in the wounds, too. The junior, who had five tackles on the day, dashed around the offensive line for a sack, just as the horn blew to end the half.
The Royals tried mounting a comeback, but hit Rams horns every step of the way, with Morrow and senior Justin Fuller helping to squash the offense.
But it was defensive end Greg Garrity who really put the nail in the coffin. Garrity broke the line, charged ahead and wrestled the running back to the ground for an eight-yard loss. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound senior earned a team-best six tackles on Saturday, on top of countless blocks he laid out as offensive tackle.
Willow Glen battering rams proceeded to steamroll the defense. Guard Mike Roseland cleared a lane for Garces, who took the ball 17 yards to Overfelt's 28-yard line. Garces then brought the Rams to the 14, thanks to a big block from junior Schuyler Ross. On first and goal, Doan sealed the right, Ahmed blocked left and Garces ran untouched through the center at 6:37 of the fourth quarter, giving the Rams a 28-7 lead.
Fittingly, on the final possession of the game, the horn sounded with a three-man sack by Basilio, Kingston and Morrow.
Overfelt was handed its first league loss and fell to 4-2 overall.
Penwarden said this year's squad is a special group, not only because of its talent, but also because of its cohesiveness.
"These kids take care of each other, they love each other and they fight for each other," he said. "That's important to have in a football team."
The Rams will try to add to their win total when they travel to James Lick on Oct. 21, 1:30 p.m. The Comets are 0-3 in the division and 0-6 for the year after losing 28-0 to San Jose Academy last week.
