Squally Canada scored two rushing touchdowns as Milpitas took a huge step toward a SCVAL championship and a potential trip to the CCS Open Division playoffs with a 17-15 win at Los Gatos Friday night. With the win, the Trojans (6-2, 4-1 SCVAL-DA) keep pace with Palo Alto (6-2, 4-1) atop the SCVAL De Anza Division; however Milpitas owns the tiebreaker by virtue of its win over the Vikings on Sept. 28. The loss effectively knocks the Wildcats (4-4, 3-2) out of contention for the SCVAL crown and likely relegates them to the CCS Division I playoffs, where they should be among the favorites for the title.
Milpitas jumped out to a 10-0 first half lead on the strength of a three-yard run by Canada and a 26-yard field goal by Jesus Gonzalez. But the 'Cats clawed back into the game in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Logan Chapman and a 50-yard run by Joey Wood to pull within 10-9 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
However, Canada answered quickly with another touchdown run, this one from 50 yards out to give the Trojans a 17-9 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Wildcats responded quickly, as quarterback Nick Bawden hit his favorite receiver Nick Kevorkian for a 45-yard touchdown pass. But Los Gatos was denied on the two-point conversion and Milpitas was able to hold onto the crucial victory.
The Trojans need only to win their remaining games, both at home, against Saratoga (Friday, 7:30 pm) and Homestead (Nov. 9, 7:30) to clinch the SCVAL title and a trip to the CCS Open Division playoffs. The Vikings finish the season with trips to Mountain View and Santa Clara to close out the regular season. Los Gatos next pays a visit to Santa Clara (Friday, 7:15 pm). The two runners-up are near cinches to land in the CCS Division I playoffs.
