Mustangs grind out win over Knights

But Capuchino had never had to lean on its defense this season — until Friday night. With the offense held in check by an inspired Hillsdale defense, the Mustangs had to rely on their top-notch defense to pull out a 13-6 win in San Bruno.

“Holding Hillsdale to 6 points is no easy task,” said Capuchino head coach Jay Oca. “Their offense is explosive.”

Hillsdale was at a disadvantage, however, with junior quarterback Grant Mattias making his first varsity start after starter Casey Strezo was injured in last week’s 21-12 loss to Burlingame.

But Mattias did a solid job commanding the Knights’ offense and despite expected struggles, he did lead the Knights on a long scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to keep Hillsdale in the game.

“I thought he was fantastic. He didn’t know he was starting until Tuesday or Wednesday,” said Hillsdale head coach Mike Parodi. “We made adjustments to the offense, but we didn’t change it. He worked his butt off all summer.”

Mattias did not struggle by himself, however, as both offenses had a hard time moving the ball against the opposing defenses. Capuchino finished with just 224 yards of offense, led by running back Lucas Zayac’s 98 yards and both Mustang touchdowns on 19 carries.

Hillsdale actually outgained the Mustangs, finished with 262 yards. Mattias was 10 for 20 for 99 yards, but the bulk of the damage was done by running back Dante Allendorf, who finished with a game-high 140 yards and the Knights’ lone score on 24 carries.

The game got off to a choppy start with myriad penalties on the opening drives for both teams. Each drive in the first quarter ended with a punt and Capuchino (2-0 PAL De Anza, 6-1 overall) turned the ball over on downs on a possession that bridged the first and second quarters.

The Knights responded by turning the ball over on downs themselves at the Mustangs’ 31-yard line before Capuchino finally got its offense in gear, with Zayac and quarterback Bobby Gomez leading a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive just before halftime. Gomez had 42 yards passing — including a 16-yard gain to Zayac off a scramble — while Zayac rushed for 33 yards on a drive during which the Mustangs overcame a 10-yard holding penalty. Zayac capped the drive with a 9-yard bolt to the end zone for a 6-0 lead with 1:18 left in the first half.

Capuchino got the second half kickoff and used a steady diet of Zayac to put together another long scoring drive to bracket halftime and put the Mustangs up 13-0. Capuchino went 68 yards on 10 plays with Zayac carrying the ball six times for 43 yards, including the final score for a touchdown.

Zayac had only seven carries in the first two quarters, combined.

“We can ride him (Zayac), but you don’t want to beat him up,” Oca said of the heavier workload in the second half that saw Zayac carry the ball 12 times.

“But we have so many other players who can also contribute.”

Hillsdale looked poised to answer as the Knights turned to Allendorf, who gashed the Capuchino defense for a 28-yard gain down to the Mustangs’ 31. But the Knights fumbled the ball away at the Capuchino 15 to end the threat.

But the Knights’ defense continued its strong play. After giving up four first down on the Mustangs’ third-quarter scoring drive, Hillsdale did not give up another first down for the rest of game, as Capuchino ended up punting on its next three possessions.

“We’re pretty good (on defense),” Parodi said.

After the Mustangs’ third punt of the second half, the Knights finally found an offensive rhythm and they embarked on their only scoring drive of the night. Starting at its own 12, Hillsdale methodically moved the ball downfield, with Mattias getting on a hot streak.

While Allendorf had runs of 16 and 10 yards, Mattias completed a pair of passes on the drive, as well, including a Mattias-to-Jack Haywood 27-yard gain down to the Capuchino 17.

Four plays later, Allendorf powered into the end zone from a yard out to cut the Knights’ deficit to 13-6.

Hillsdale was nearly in business again when the Knights had a great chance to recover an onside kick, only for Capuchino to barely hang on.

But the Knights forced a three-and-out to get one last crack at it. But the Mustangs defense was just as stingy as they forced Hillsdale to turn the ball over down with just over two minutes left and Capuchino managed to run out the clock.

“We’ve been just a hair short every week,” said Parodi, whose team lost its third straight game. “At some point it’s going to go our way.”

Said Oca: “There is no such thing as an easy game in the De Anza. It’s an ‘A’ league. All these (De Anza Division) games will be like this.”