CONCORD, CA - Most local media had predicted a high-scoring shootout between Cal-Hi Sports NorCal Division II top-ranked Clayton Valley (Concord) and NorCal D2 third-ranked and host Concord in the battle for the Claycord Cup.
It certainly didn’t start out that way in what looked like a possible rout by visiting Clayton Valley, but when all was said and done the arch-rival Ugly Eagles and Minutemen ended up battling to the very end in an exciting 48-40 Clayton Valley victory played in front of a packed house in Concord.
Miles Harrison rushed 32 times for 325 yards and scored six touchdowns to lead Clayton Valley (8-0) to victory.
When the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Harrison returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown it set the stage for what would be a game of many big plays. After the ensuing Concord drive stalled, it only took Clayton Valley three plays to score when Harrison took it 74 yards to the house for a 14-0 lead.
A 3-yard run by Harrison made it 21-0 in the early second quarter and it looked like the rout was on.
Immediately thereafter Concord quarterback Mitch Daniels showed why he is one of the East Bay’s top signal-callers. The 6-foot-2, 193-pound Daniels (32-of-50, 367 yards, 3 TDs, 3 sacks, 1 interception) gave Minutemen faithful a preview of what was to come by orchestrating a quick 60-yard drive and less than two minutes after Harrison‘s third TD he found tight end Nolan Brekle on a 6-yard pass on after a 2-point conversion pass to Brekle Concord was on the board trailing 21-8.
Harrison would go 65 yards on the first play of Clayton Valley’s next drive for his fourth score, and after Devin Banks ran 30 yards for a touchdown, the Ugly Eagles looked like they would blow it open a second time.
Daniels and the Minutemen however would not go away and the next series cemented what would be an amazing comeback.
Despite two sacks, Daniels led Concord on a 13-play, 59-yard drive that featured a fourth-down conversion and culminated in a 5-yard TD pass to Mason Knight on the last play of the first half. That sent the teams into the locker room with Clayton Valley holding a 34-14 lead. Knight finished with 12 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the tall order of overcoming a 20-point lead Concord nearly pulled it off. First, Malik Blackburn scored on a 3-yard run to cut it to 34-20. It would be the first of three second half touchdowns for the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Concord running back who finished with 21 carries for 152 yards and the three scores.
The teams then exchanged touchdowns and it was 41-26 entering the fourth quarter. Blackburn’s second TD early in the final period and a 2-point conversion got it to a 41-34 deficit.
Harrison’s last score gave Clayton Valley a 48-34 lead with 4:55 to go, however just 41 seconds later, Blackburn closed the game to 48-40 on a 41-yard TD run for Concord. After holding on downs, Concord (7-1) drove from its own 34 to the Clayton Valley 4, but a pass from Daniels was tipped by Rich Peralta and intercepted by Elijah Breon with 13 seconds left and Clayton Valley had escaped with a victory.
“We’ve had a lot of blowouts but in the playoffs we’re going to get in close games,” Clayton Valley head coach Tim Murphy said. “A game like this helps us remember how to win a close game.”
In the last eight meetings between the teams since 2009 (including playoffs) the winning team has scored at least 40 points. Last year, Clayton Valley beat Concord 49-48 when a last second two-point conversion by Daniels fell incomplete.
The win is the third straight Claycord Cup victory for Clayton Valley after Concord had won three in a row.
As for the future Clayton Valley will continue atop the Cal-Hi Sports NorCal D2 rankings, but with the positives the game exposed some things Murphy admits need fixing.
“The positives are we made them earn it especially at the goal line, but the negatives were apparent," Murphy said. "We missed way too many tackles and we almost never give up the deep ball and we gave up way too many deep ones.”
Concord may or may not drop from the NorCal D2 No. 3 slot but it can take comfort in knowing a win during the regular season doesn’t always translate to the playoffs.
In 2009 Concord won the Diablo Valley Athletic League regular season game 56-20 and then lost to Clayton Valley 48-28 in the playoffs.
The way both teams looked and with two weeks left in league play, coupled with D2 Redwood Empire's Windsor losing to Rohnert Park Rancho Cotate on Friday night, the Ugly Eagles and Minutemen may very well meet again for the CIFNCS Division II championship with Concord looking for a reversal of fortunes.
