First-year Hillsdale High football coach Jeff Scheller woke up Saturday morning and realized he was captaining the only winless squad in the Peninsula Athletic League.
"Losses can wear on you psychologically, so we were hoping for a breakout performance," Scheller said.
The Knights did exactly that, putting together a complete game in a 21-0 Ocean Division victory over visiting Sequoia. Hillsdale (1-4 overall, 1-2) made sure it wouldn't suffer heartbreak yet again, pulling away with a 14-point third quarter. The Knights could've easily had two wins coming into Saturday's game, but suffered devastating losses to Harker and Jefferson.
Those defeats continued a disturbing trend that saw Hillsdale unable to drop the hammer when the opportunity presented itself. But against Sequoia (1-4, 0-3), the Knights were dominant. The team totaled 268 yards of offense to the Cherokees' 160. The Knights also took advantage of an error-prone and penalty-plagued Sequoia team, which committed five turnovers after having committed a ghastly 12 turnovers in the previous two games.
The Cherokees seemed to have all the air taken out of their sails after Kyle Perry's 63-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter was nullified on a holding penalty, one of eight Sequoia infractions on the day. Hillsdale took the ensuing possession and marched 56 yards on six plays, capped by Wes Price's 20-yard touchdown pass to Wilson Castro with two minutes left in the quarter.
After Sequoia fumbled on the opening possession of the third quarter, the Knights took just two plays to cash in. After an incomplete pass, Price hooked up with Erik Ratcliffe for a 35-yard TD to make it 14-0 with just over nine minutes left in the quarter. The 6 foot 2 inch wideout made a sensational grab, out leaping Luis Ayala down the right sideline near the pylon.
The Cherokees' fumbled again on the ensuing drive. And once again, the Knights made them pay. Price connected with Castro for a 16-yard TD that all but sealed the outcome. Sequoia struggled mightily on offense, never advancing past the Knights' 20-yard line. Linebackers Anthony Chiechi and Geo Gill led the Knights' defense, while the offensive line of Eric Nyberg, Gil, Blaiz Davis, Edwin Alvarez and Patrick Harman gave Price and company plenty of protection.
Castro was just relieved to finally get that first win.
"It hasn't hit me yet," he said. "This is the first time we've won a home game in four years, and we just wanted to win so bad today. We knew it would be a tough game and we all played the way we're capable of playing."
Castro wasn't the only shining Knight. Scheller was showered with Gatorade, and his happiness was evident. Fifteen minutes after the final whistle, he was still holding the game ball as if it was a baby.
"We're going to have the kids sign it and put it up in the coaches' office," he said. "At the end of the season we'll find a nice spot for it. I'm so proud of the way everyone played. We finally played a complete game and it's a good feeling. Now we have to make sure we continue to improve."
Price completed 12 of 17 passes for 169 yards and three TDs, while Castro, Ratcliffe and Chiechi combined for nine receptions. Sam Alipate, a big, bruising 220-pound running back, led Sequoia with 104 yards on 16 carries. Waisele Latukefu, Sean Remy and Sione Tuivai sparked the Cherokees' defense by combining for 12 tackles, including three for losses.
"We just made too many mistakes and it makes it tough to win that way," Sequoia coach Fine Lauese said. "When you're 18 strong, you can't have the turnovers or penalties. We don't have any margin for error. If Kyle's big run stood, maybe it's a different ball game. But we have to get stronger in all areas of the game."
(stat box)
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Sequoia 0 0 0 0 - 0
Hillsdale 7 0 14 0 - 21
Scoring summary
H - Castro 20 pass from Price (Wyman kick)
H - Ratcliffe 35 pass from Price (Wyman kick)
H - Castro 16 pass from Price (Wyman kick)
RUSHING (carries-yards)
Sequoia - Alipate 16-104, Perry 11-28, Soto 5-(-2), Reynoso 8-7. Totals 41-137. Hillsdale -Joyce 2-8, Lennon 3-8, Suavo 6-25, Unga 10-30, Schmidt 1-(-1), Cortez 1-1, Chiechi 1-11, Price 4-21. Totals 29-268.
PASSING (comp-att-yds-td-int)
Sequoia - Reynoso 4-9-160-0-1. Hillsdale - Price 12-17-169-3-0; Schmidt 0-1-0-0-0. Totals 12-18-169-3-0.
RECEIVING (catches-yards)
Sequoia - Alipate 1-18, Perry 2-7, Soto 1-(-2). Totals 4-23. Hillsdale - Ratcliffe 2-45, Castro 4-48, Chiechi 3-33, McEvoy 1-25, Joyce 2-18. Totals 12-169.
TOTAL YARDAGE (rush-pass-total)
Sequoia - 137-23-160. Hillsdale - 99-169-268.
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