With a tied score after a slow first quarter, third-seeded Wilcox got its game together and propelled past No. 6 South San Francisco, 38-14, Friday night in Santa Clara. The win secures a spot for the Chargers (8-3) in the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs and another meeting with SCVAL foe Los Gatos. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Warriors (7-4).
The Chargers initiated the game with a blast. On first-and-10 from the Wilcox 45 just a minute into the game, quarterback Kenny Dipko handed off to running back Delshawn Mitchell, who rushed 55 yards for the Chargers’ first touchdown of the game.
But the fast start faded for Wilcox, as the Warriors responded seven minutes later with their first touchdown of the game. A Wilcox fumble was recovered by South City defensive back Jerick Anicete on the Charger 37-yard line. On second-and-7 from the 8, South City quarterback Maligi Maluia successfully completed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Johnson, and the two teams were tied 7-7 going into the second quarter.
“We played a lot better than we usually do,” Wilcox running back Roland Luke said. “Even though we came out a little sloppy at the beginning, we picked it up as the game progressed.”
Luke scored the next two touchdowns for Wilcox in the second quarter. His first one was a 10-yard rush and his second one a 1-yard rush. Both were complemented by successful PATs kicked by Robert Bowles. Wilcox attempted a field goal earlier in the quarter, but was unsuccessful because of a block by South City. By halftime, the score was 21-7.
The Warriors tried to get back in the game in the third quarter, but things didn't go their way. A 25-yard field goal by Bowles midway through the third quarter extended the Chargers' lead to 24-7 and then Maluia was picked off by Wilcox linebacker Corbin Jackson, giving the Chargers another opportunity to score.
Starting around midfield, with multiple handoffs by Dipko to Luke and Mitchell, including a 29-yard rush by Luke, the Wilcox offense set up for an impressive touchdown pass by a non-quarterback on the Warriors’ 15-yard line. On fourth-and-5 with around 55 seconds left to go in the third quarter, Wilcox executed a trick play, with Dipko performing a pitch to Luke, who then threw the touchdown pass to wide receiver Cory Barraclough. With Bowles’ successful PAT following, the Wilcox lead jumped to 31-7.
South City had control of the ball entering the fourth quarter. The offense was strong, with handoffs to running backs Anthony Shkuratov and Keven Cunha and passes to Johnson that pushed the Warriors from their own 40 to the Chargers’ 34. But their flow was interrupted when Maluia’s pass was intercepted by Wilcox linebacker Sione Finefeuiaki, who charged 80 yards for Wilcox’s fifth touchdown of the game and a 38-7 lead.
But the Warriors did not let the huge score gap affect them. They held up a strong defense for the rest of the game and did not let Wilcox score again.
“Towards the end, we didn’t give up and we gave it a lot of effort,” Shkuratov said. “That’s the thing about our team: we just never let down. No matter what the score was, we always just kept pushing and pushing and we didn’t give up.”
The Warriors ended strong with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. A four-yard rushing touchdown by Shkuratov and a successful PAT by kicker Salifu Jatta pulled South City within 38-14. The Warriors attempted an onside kick during the kick off afterwards, but Wilcox recovered and the game was essentially over.
“I feel like we gave it everything we had,” Shkuratov said. “I just want to say thank you to all of my seniors, juniors, and the coaches. We gave it 100 percent and I couldn’t be more happy with the season. We were league champions. It could have ended better; we could have been CCS champions, but I’m just glad to be a champion.”
The win means the Chargers will move on to the second round of the CCS Division II playoffs and face off against the Los Gatos Wildcats (7-4) on Friday. The Chargers are hoping to seek revenge for the 35-21 loss they experienced against Los Gatos earlier in the season.
“It feels really good to win because we have another chance to play the team that we lost to,” Luke said. “I was just thinking about Los Gatos next week because that is what we’re mainly focusing on. We are going to hit more in practice and get more physical because Los Gatos is a physical team, so we have to get ready for that.”
In order to beat Los Gatos, Wilcox will need to continue to minimize its mistakes.
“We obviously ran the ball well, stayed on our blocks and kept pushing during this game,” Dipko said. “We definitely need to improve on passing and protection.”
