CUPERTINO, CA - Boasting a style about as subtle as a head butt, Monta Vista defeated rival Cupertino 28-14 in the Helmet Game on Friday night.
Senior running back Justin Cena rushed for 301 yards and all four touchdowns in the SCVAL-El Camino game.
"They'll hit you in the mouth -- that's all they do," Cupertino coach Chris Arnold said. "Did they complete a pass tonight? You know what's coming, but can you stop it?"
Cupertino (5-1, 1-1) certainly couldn't halt Cena. Leading 14-7 at halftime, the Pioneers watched Cena run for touchdowns of 22 and 45 yards in the third quarter as Monta Vista (5-2, 3-0) took control.
"He's amazing," Arnold said. "Everyone knows he's the one you have to stop, but how do you do it? He's a 200-pound bowling ball, rolling very hard."
Those two scoring drives, consisting of all running plays, set the tone for the second half.
So did a ferocious Matador defense, led by inside linebackers and identical twins Faris and Tijani Karaborni and outside linebacker Sam Nastari. They hounded and sacked Cupertino quarterback Anthony Pozzetti, who had been so effective in the first half.
Nastari's pillaging of Pozzetti mid-way through the fourth quarter ended one Cupertino possession and resulted in Monta Vista eventually getting the ball back at its own 28. Three plays later, Cena bolted 62 yards for his final score of the night.
"This is the best one of the year," Cena said. "It's the game I looked forward to since the moment I saw our schedule. Cupertino is always a big game. This is the 10th year we've kept the helmet ... We've had the rivalry since 1969 and it means the most to us."
After a brief post-game chat with coach Jeff Mueller, Matador lineman Paul Grandy was dispatched to retrieve the "Helmet" trophy Monta Vista has held for nine years. He hoisted the prize to the heavens as the Matadors roared their approval.
Things were not so boisterous in the first half.
Pozzetti, just 5-foot-7, was accurate from the start, leading Cupertino on a 71-yard scoring march to start the game. His 6-yard scoring toss to Dylan Schutz was set up one play earlier by a 49-yard pass to Nathan Duong.
Monta Vista rebounded with a 21-yard scoring run by Cena, but Cupertino took the lead right back with a 9-yard touchdown run by Pozzetti.
Pozzetti completed 10-of-14 passes for 146 yards and one touchdowns.
Cena had plenty of yards as well, but they apparently meant little to him.
"Being down at halftime and seeing the score at 14-7, I couldn't think about yards or touchdowns, the only thing I could think about was winning," Cena said. "We haven't been to CCS since 2008 and this is my senior year and we want to bring the school pride and go out with a bang. CCS is a must for us."
Monta Vista continues its quest at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Los Altos. Cupertino will be at Lynbrook for a 7:30 p.m. game.
