CAMPBELL, Calif. - Three months ago, Los Gatos kicked off its season with a 44-0 shutout victory over Oak Grove, which set the tone for how the rest of their season would go. Last night, the Wildcats finished their CCS playoff run with another shutout against Oak Grove, defeating the Eagles 21-0 to secure the Division 2 championship.
With the big win, Los Gatos (12-1) took home its 15th section title in school history. Quarterback Yost Girvan led the offense for the Wildcats, going 6-of-11 for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and he also picked up 71 yards on his feet. Girvan was only one yard short of sharing a rushing total with Adam Garwood, who had 14 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. Girvan, who is a senior this year, has been thinking about this day for quite some time.
“We were 2-7 our freshman year,” Girvan said. “We just grinded our way out for three years, knowing that we would win CCS in 2019. We have a group chat from freshman year where we all talked about this day. We just knew it would come.”
The tough loss for Oak Grove (10-3) put an end to the Eagles' impressive nine-game winning streak. The Mount Hamilton league champions battled their way through the playoffs, taking down No. 2 Salinas and No. 6 Palo Alto, but unfortunately had no answer to the Los Gatos defense. Quarterback Jessie Miller went 8-of-20 for 81 yards, and Izaiah Nakanishi was on the receiving end of six of those passes for 73 yards, but it wasn’t enough to put any points on the board.
“Their defense outplayed us. They didn’t give us any big plays,” Oak Grove head coach Marcus Reese said after the game. “We also had some penalties that just killed our drive. Against a defense like Los Gatos, you just can’t have those penalties.”
Oak Grove was indeed weighed down with penalties last night, with 14 flags costing them 105 yards. Two crucial turnovers also hurt the Eagles in the loss.
The game started off as a defensive battle with a scoreless first quarter and lots of punting. Los Gatos finally caught a wave of momentum early in the second quarter with an interception for Carson Gardner. Starting from their own eight-yard line, the Wildcats worked the ball down deep into Oak Grove territory. On second down, Girvan found Gian Lagemann in the endzone for a 14-yard touchdown pass. A good PAT from Ty Goldsbury put the Wildcats ahead 7-0 with 5:24.
Oak Grove received the kickoff for the start of the second half, but Los Gatos quickly forced a punt. This time, Adam Garwood led the way during this drive with two huge gains leading up to a 11-yard touchdown rush. Another PAT from Goldsbury made it 14-0 with 10:11.
With the defense continuing to shut down the Eagle offense, Kyle Pinkham sealed the deal late in the 4th with a 43-yard touchdown reception. Los Gatos forced another turnover on downs on the following drive, allowing Girvan to take a knee to secure the Division 2 title.
