SAN JOSE, CA - It was an offensive clinic in the first half for both high-powered offenses before Saratoga shut out Leigh in the second half to record a 42-27 win heading into league play.
It was a blow for blow first half, with both teams scoring on their first four drives. After Leigh finally took the lead, 27-21, and forced a missed field goal, the Longhorns Michael Brohn fumbled on the handoff, giving the Falcons the ball on the Leigh 29 with 1:52 remaining in the half. Saratoga went straight to its star receiver Harrison Fong, who out jumped two Leigh defenders to come down with the ball and give his team a 28-27 lead heading into the half.
“We have a five minute practice at every practice called “pat-and-go” where we have our quarterbacks throw that deep ball high and outside of the numbers,” said Saratoga coach Tim Lugo. “It is a total confidence to have Fong (eight catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns) and Ghelichkhani (two touchdowns) catch that pass 60 times a week.”
Leigh was held off the scoreboard in the second half.
“We needed to settle down. We were playing cocky opposed to confident, so they just needed a little refocusing," Lugo said. "I just told our defense that it is really hard for an offense to feel as if they need to score on every possession, so we just need two or three stops in the second half to close this game out.”
Saratoga’s Nolan Chao recovered another Brohn fumble at the 49 yard line, which the Falcons later converted into points on a nine-yard rushing touchdown by junior Robert Scott as the third quarter wound down. With nine minutes remaining in the game, senior defensive end Aaron Vogel picked off Jared King, ending all hope for any possible Leigh offense.
Saratoga converted the turnover into points with a William Liddle lob pass to their big man, Fong, who came down with the ball to give his team a commanding 42-27 lead.
“I just try to help my team win” said Fong. “I do everything I can to catch it and get the first down.”
It helped that the Falcons did not allow a single completion to Leigh quarterback Jared King in the second half. Saratoga also limited Longhorns running back Michael Brohn, who rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in the first half, to 54 yards on 10 carries in the second.
“To contain Brohn and King, we just wore them down as much as we could.” said Lugo. “Brohn is a load; he is low to the ground and a physical runner. And King, he is just the real deal. We can’t replicate his speed and talent, so seeing him on the field was a shock to us in the first half. We just tried to keep him in the pocket and we couldn’t even do that.”
The Falcons hope to expand their win streak to four next Friday as they host a tough Milpitas team. The Longhorns usher in Homecoming next Friday with their first league game against the struggling Pioneer Mustangs.
