Senior Brent McCoy returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and host Los Gatos never trailed in a 38-12 win over Pioneer in the quarterfinals of the CCS Division II playoffs Friday night. The Wildcats (7-4) next face SCVAL rival Wilcox in the CCS semifinals, while the Mustangs (4-7) end their season having lost four of their final five games.
Sophomore tailback Joey Wood rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the win as Los Gatos built a 17-0 first-quarter lead and was never really threatened. After a 23-yard field goal by Logan Chapman, Wood scored the first of his two touchdowns, capping a drive with a one-yard run to make it 17-0 late in the first quarter.
A pair of field goals by Pioneer kicker Oswaldo Orozco - from 32 and 42 yards - cut the deficit to 17-6 in the third quarter, but Wood struck again with a six-yard run to push the lead back to 24-6.
The Mustangs made one final push as quarterback Drew Fryhoff hit junior tight end Joseph Londre for a 23-yard touchdown in the third quarter to get within 24-12, but scoring runs by quarterback Nick Bawden and Max Herman sealed the deal for the Wildcats.
The two teams met in the CCS Division II championship game last season with Los Gatos winning, 28-21, but this game did not provide the same drama. The Wildcats now take on Wilcox, a team they defeated 35-21 on October 5 in SCVAL play.
