ATHERTON, Calif. — Jack Herrell’s first game at quarterback for Sacred Heart Prep had a season’s worth of ups and downs within the final two minutes.
Just moments after he had led a drive to give the Gators the lead over Sacred Heart Cathedral with 1:51 left, the Fightin’ Irish took their first lead of the game on a Kendric Sanders 95-yard kickoff return, leaving Herrell to once again need to lead his offense down the field.
Feeling none of the pressure and rising to the occasion, Herrell’s 38-yard completion to Jake York paved the way for Andrew Latu to score the game-winning four-yard touchdown with 58 seconds left, giving the Gators a season-opening 28-21 win.
“We practice two-minute drills all the time,” Herrell said. “I have so much faith in these guys, and it’s evident that we can’t get a win unless all of us are doing our job and all of us are making plays.”
Even after Latu’s go-ahead score and a two-point conversion from Herrell to Zach Freire, SHC still had one last chance. Michael Calonico’s 24-yard kick return took the Irish across midfield, and a pair of Derek Reagans III carries brought them inside the 30 before back-to-back incompletions sealed the game.
“It definitely felt like a first game as far as us needing to clean things up and get things organized,” head coach Mark Grieb said following the win.
Sacred Heart Prep (1-0) went into halftime scoreless thanks to a defense that bent but never broke despite being on the field for nearly two-thirds of the first two quarters and multiple field-flipping punts by Freire.
The Gators then took the lead on the first play of the second half as Latu found a hole up the middle and raced to the end zone untouched for a 70-yard score. On the ensuing Fightin’ Irish drive, Ray-John Spears, one of two quarterbacks to see time on the day, broke free for a 76-yard run, but Carter Shaw managed to pop the ball loose when tackling him and Anthony Noto recovered it. Two plays later, Herrell threw for his first career touchdown, a 95-yard score to an open Luke Renert.
Inheriting the QB position from Teddy Purcell, who accepted a preferred walk-on opportunity at Washington, Herrell completed 11-of-19 passes for 230 yards. Renert had just two receptions but totaled up 134 yards, with the latter catch being a 39-yarder to set up the go-ahead score with 1:51 left.
Between Renert’s two catches, Sacred Heart Cathedral (0-1) managed to tie the game at 14, with sophomore Aidan McGrath hitting Bruce Uperesa for an 18-yard touchdown and Spears bouncing off the line for an electrifying 60-yard score on what looked to be a simple plunge up the middle on fourth-and-1 after a Jerry Mixon Jr. fumble recovery halted a Gator drive early in the fourth.
With 5:42 to work with, Herrell led a smooth and methodical drive to put his team back in front, with third-down conversions to Freire and Billy Thompson before getting pushed back to the 40 on a holding penalty. Undeterred, he hit Renert down the sideline, and though Sanders was able to tackle him shy of the goal line, Luis Mendoza plunged in on the ensuing play.
With back-to-back big special teams plays from SHC, the lead was short-lived. Mixon blocked the extra point, and Sanders took the following kickoff up the sideline to tie the game, setting off a raucous celebration from the visiting sideline. Brian Coyle’s extra point gave the visitors a 21-20 advantage.
While the celebration from the sideline was contained after the Sanders return, the SHC sideline would get flagged on the eventual winning drive. York’s reception went for 38 yards, with 15 more tacked on as the official following the play up the sideline tripped over a member of the Irish coaching staff. With an 11-yard run by Mendoza and two carries by Latu, the hosts were back in front.
“We had backup corners playing and they didn’t switch sides,” Irish head coach Barry McLaughlin said of the decisive drive.
Cramps and other injuries popped up constantly on an afternoon with temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s, and those injuries put Sacred Heart Cathedral in a difficult position in the final minutes.
That won’t earn much sympathy from the Gators, who were suffering from their own maladies throughout the game, including York.
“I had a couple calf cramps, one on the left, one on the right,” York said.
York was one of six receivers to haul in at least one pass from Herrell on the day, with the Gators filling the hole left by tight end Paul Barton - now playing lacrosse at North Carolina - by committee. Uperesa was the top target for SHC, with four catches for 47 yards. McGrath completed 6-of-10 passes for 57, while Spears completed 3-of-5 attempts for 62 and ran nine times for 152 yards. Reagans III gained 62 on 17 carries, while Mixon ran eight times for 49, recovered a fumble and tied for the team lead with six tackles.
SHP’s two-headed rushing attack of Latu (11 carries, 107 yards) and Mendoza (7, 35) got off to a slow start in the first half but ultimately accounted for three touchdowns, including both of the go-ahead scores in the final minutes.
The Gators will visit St. Ignatius (1-0) on Saturday, while the Fightin’ Irish will play their first home game of the year at Kezar Stadium on Friday night. They’ll have a tough task as they welcome in Palma (1-0), 47-0 winners over Mitty to open the season.