After 0-4 start, Sequoia football has won 3 straight

Mems is in his eighth year at Sequoia, where he spent the last five seasons as the varsity offensive coordinator under former head coach Rob Poulos. His first varsity win came Sept. 27, with the Ravens triumphing 19-14 over Fremont-Sunnyvale in their final non-league game.

“We talked about it because, all season, we felt like we’ve been close,” Mems said. “But as a new regime, we felt like we had to learn to win. ... We had to learn how to do it without Rob.”

Crockett totaled 28 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns Friday against HMB. It’s the senior’s third 100-yard rushing game. He’s run for 432 yards to front Sequoia’s three-game winning streak.

“He’s a three-year varsity player,” Mems said. “He’s paid his dues and he’s reaping the benefits of his work. ... He’s already adjusted to the varsity speed, and it’s been great to see him plug in and really take off.”

The loss was HMB’s first on the season, snapping a five-game winning streak to start the career of the Cougars’ new head coach Ronnie Ekis.

“We had a lot of kids upset, but I told them it isn’t the end of the world,” Ekis said. “It doesn’t upset our goals. ... They wanted it more and I think we were just a little bit content. And I think this will be a big growing moment for us.”

Crockett and the Ravens came storming back against HMB after trailing 20-8 at the half. HMB got on the board on the game’s first possession with a long touchdown run by senior Degan Lourenco. It’s the fifth opening drive on which the Cougars have scored in six games, Ekis said.

HMB (1-1, 6-1) missed the extra-point kick, however, and later failed to covert to two-point conversion. Those missed points would loom large in the one-point game.

“That was a big part of our after-the-game speech is special teams is a big part of the game too,” Ekis said. “You know me, if we get into our jumbo package, I expect to get three yards. So, that was kind of a big deal for me.”

Sequoia senior Marco Baisch had a fine game, totaling three catches for 49 yards with a touchdown and offense, and recording his second interception of the year on defense.

His first impact play, however, came on a point-after try following a touchdown on Sequoia’s first possession. Baisch serves as the holder on extra-point kicks, but the snap was off the mark, leaving the senior to gather the ball and make a mad dash for the corner of the end zone.

“He turned around and ran right for the pylon,” Mems said. “So, it was a footrace there.”

The two-point conversion score gave Sequoia an 8-6 lead, but HMB rallied for two scores before the half. Lourenco hauled in a long pass before Ronin McCauley (12 carries, 44 yards) rushed in for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Cougars ahead 12-8. Lourenco then threw for a touchdown on a trick play, with a backward bubble screen turning into a double pass to senior Connor Heath, with HMB scoring the two-point conversion to go up 20-8.

Had Lourenco’s long pass reception on HMB’s second scoring drive got to the end zone, he would have hit the Christian McCaffrey trifecta — a rushing, receiving and passing TD.

“If he would have caught and scored on that, he would have had all three,” Ekis said.

Sequoia turned things around in the second half.

Baisch punctuated the half’s first scoring drive with a long touchdown catch. The Ravens got the ball back and drove using a flurry of short screens from senior quarterback Shawn Royer, who finished 10-of-15 passing for 98 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Crockett then punched it in with a 2-yard score with three minutes to play.

“We just couldn’t stop them in the fourth quarter,” Ekis said. “We couldn’t stop their rush.”

HMB turned it back around and was driving near midfield when Baisch stepped up for his last big play of the game, this time from the safety position. The senior was shading deep in the nickel package, and laid out for an interception near the 35-yard line.

“They had been hitting us up the seams and Marco had been playing center field,” Mems said. “They came over the top and ... he was so far back to the point where he had to scoop it.”

Lourenco paced the Cougars with three carries for 60 yards rushing. HMB was without rushing leader Adler Halterman, who suited up but did not play. Ekis said. Halterman is slated to return to action this Friday at San Mateo.

Sequoia started the year with consecutive non-league losses to Capuchino 27-3; Woodside 35-19; Alisal 7-0; and Newark Memorial 26-13. Now, with wins over Terra Nova 24-14 and HMB, the Ravens are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in PAL Ocean Division play, along with San Mateo (3-0, 6-1).

“We just had to gain more confidence,” Mems said. “So, it was great being able to get a win (against Fremont) going into league. We were: ‘Hey, we can do this.’ ... This is probably the hardest part of our schedule, but we know if we can stand up to Half Moon Bay and make it a game — we just need to keep gaining confidence.”