GONZALES — Playing from behind all game long, the Gonzales High football team kept battling to the final minutes in a 24-21 divisional loss to Robert Louis Stevenson on Saturday at Monterey Peninsula College.
The setback dropped the Spartans to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Santa Lucia Division of the Pacific Coast Athletic League.
“If you take away the first eight minutes of the play, this game has a completely different score,” said Gonzales head coach Eddy Ramirez. “It’s part of the struggle of being on the road for 10 games. Our energy was not there at the start, but I am proud of the way our team responded. It would have been easy for us to give up and implode, but our team responds to adversity by getting tighter, closer and supporting each other.”
On the initial kickoff, Stevenson’s Reggie Bell ran the kick back 85 yards for a score with 11:48 remaining in the quarter. After the PAT, the Pirates led 7-0.
Stevenson forced a punt on the Spartans’ first series of play, and on first and 10, Bell scored a 32-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The PAT gave the Pirates a 14-0 lead with 8:14 remaining in the first quarter.
At the 4:16 mark, Gonzales running back Ely Cisneros scored a touchdown from four yards and Luis Cabada kicked the PAT to cut the lead to 14-7.
The scoring did not end there in the first quarter as Pirates receiver Caden Olson caught a pass from quarterback Fin Mink and ran for a 76-yard touchdown. After the PAT, Stevenson took a 21-7 advantage.
Gonzales mounted a drive with a few minutes left in the first half and Cisneros scored a two-yard touchdown with 2:42 remaining. Cabada calmly kicked the PAT to cut the deficit to 21-14.
Gonzales had the ball to start the second half and used the run game and a pass to Alejandro Anguiano from quarterback Ray Blanco to earn a first down in the red zone. Cisneros then followed his linemen into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown with 9:34 to go in the third quarter. The third PAT by Cabada tied the ball game at 21-21 and sent the Gonzales players, fans and the cheer squad and band into a frenzy.
Six minutes later, Stevenson broke the 21-21 tie with a field goal with less than three minutes and a quarter left to play.
Trailing 24-21, the Spartans had opportunity to tie the game in the fourth with a boot from Cabada. The scoring attempt failed as a bad snap forced Blanco at holder to throw the ball, but the pass fell incomplete.
Gonzales’ hopes for a comeback ended with the Spartans getting stopped at midfield on two possessions, and the Pirates running out the clock on the home team from Gonzales.
The Spartans rushed for 300 yards, led by Cisneros who finished with 115 yards and scored three touchdowns. Blanco had 99 passing yards. On defense, Dom Montiel and Alex Anguiano put in extra efforts and Joel Lorenzo made some plays on special teams.
“We have a bye week and it comes at a good time with our team being hurt at every position,” Ramirez said. “We don’t make excuses, that’s football. Everyone is hurt this time of the year. This loss stings, but we will regroup and do our best to make up for it.”
Before the Spartans made the trip to Monterey, the team walked together down Spartan Alley, a tradition that has existed since the stadium was built and has been shared by every football team since.
“We wanted to continue the tradition,” Ramirez said. “We walked down Spartan Alley and had the bus pick us up at the stadium. We also got to debut our new uniform home look.”
After the bye week, Gonzales will host San Lorenzo Valley at Alisal High School as they continue the season on the road.
GREENFIELD
Greenfield High’s football team lost their fourth straight game and second straight Mission South contest on Friday at home against the Pacific Grove Breakers. The visitors defeated the Bruins, 21-6.
Hector Garcia scored the only touchdown for Greenfield with a run in the fourth quarter. Naythen Hernandez ran for 140 yards on 10 rushes, and AJ Martinez rushed for 77 yards on nine carries. Hernandez led Greenfield with 11 tackles and one interception.
On Friday, the Bruins play the King City Mustangs at War Memorial Stadium.
