New head coach Ronnie Ekis earns first win at Half Moon Bay

“It’s my first as a head coach, so that’s a big deal to me,” Ekis said.

HMB (1-0) trailed 10-6 at the half, at which point senior Connor Heath had 18 total yards to his credit, including just one carry. In the second half, however, Heath became the prime weapon off the slot in the jumbo package, and plugged away 14 carries for game-high 89 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown with 8:02 to give the Cougars the lead for good 14-10.

“We put him in at that wing back and the kid shines,” Ekis said. “He’s got patience. ... He’s the heart and soul of our team ... offense, defense.”

It was in the second half, though, running up the backs of guards Declan Lourenco and Vince Vella, and center Colton Henry — with a simple inside pitch and a stutter-step into a slight pocket in a cluster of bodies — where Heath took over the game.

“It started working,” Heath said. “I told the coach: ‘Hey, I got it.’ I know the coaches trust me, and I trust my coaches. So, I knew they were going to get me involved at some point.”

While it was two-pronged ground attack of Heath and senior Ronin McCauley (15 carries for 68 yards) that put HMB on the attack, it was a spectacular performance by the defensive secondary that put the game away. The Cougars intercepted Burlingame quarterback Luke Levitt two times in the second half, including a backbreaker pick-6 by senior safety Luke Dexter, who returned an interception 27 yards to the end zone to give HMB a 21-10 lead with 7:48 to play.

HMB put its nose to the grindstone on the season’s first possession, marching 69 yards on 14 plays to reach the end zone. Eight of the first nine plays went to senior running back Adler Halterman, including a third-down pickup of 10 yards, and a fourth-down conversion of 4 yards to move the ball to the Burlingame 22. Five plays later, McCauley banged it in for the score, bulling through the middle to cross the goal line with a headlong dive with 3:26 to play in the first quarter.

The ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, however, with an out pass from quarterback Dusty Dimas stopped just short, keeping the score at 6-0.

Burlingame (0-1) overcame two unproductive possessions — a stalled drive resulting in a punt to HMB’s 20, and a fumble in Cougars territory. But the Burlingame special teams turned the tide when, on a HMB fourth-and-4 near midfield, the Panthers sniffed out a fake punt and stopped HMB’s Dimas for a 1-yard gain to force a turnover on downs.

Then the Panthers went on the march, using eight plays to go 45 yards for their first score of the season. A clutch fourth-down pickup with four yards to go to the marker loomed large, as Levitt just got to the line of gain at the Cougars’ 36. Senior running back Lucas Kirk followed by bouncing off left tackle for an 18-yard dash into the red zone. Then, after an offside penalty, Kirk scored on a 13-yard draw through the middle, with kicker Dylan Rossen giving Burlingame a 7-6 lead on the point-after try with 2:34 to go in the half.

The Panthers weren’t done. On HMB’s first play of the next possession, junior safety Hayden Haba came flying out of the middle to intercept a Dimas pass. Haba fumbled the ball on the return, but Burlingame’s Quincy Yu recovered to put Burlingame at the HMB 10. Four plays later, Rossen booted a 28-yard field goal to send the Panthers into the halftime locker room leading 10-6.

But HMB’s scrum was lurking, and Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos knew it.

“We knew if the game was close they were going to get into their scrum formation and try and wear us out a little bit, and try and run the clock,” Philipopoulos said. “And that’s exactly what they did.”

Burlingame had a chance to take control of the game on the opening possession of the second half. But after moving the ball across midfield, HMB produced its first interception of the night when McCauley stepped in front of a long curl route at the Burlingame 35. The Panthers ultimately intercepted the ball back with a pick by senior cornerback Jake Flood, but HMB forced a punt and took the ball back at its own 34.

The Cougars went on the march with Heath taking carries of 7, 10, 2, 4 and 4 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown carry.

The next play from scrimmage saw Dexter add to the lead with his pick-6. It was the first defensive touchdown of his three-year varsity career.

“I seen the play — the quarterback rolled out and threw the ball,” Dexter said. “He didn’t get much power behind it, and it came right to me. Easy pick to the house right there.”

Burlingame fired right back, moving the ball 62 yards on six plays to close to within a field goal. Levitt course corrected to fined Luke Dimech for a 43-yard catch-and-carry touchdown. The Panthers then converted the two-point try, with Levitt hitting Flood, to make it 21-18.

But HMB ran out the clock with a gutsy showing by Heath, who clinched it with a clutch 6-yard carry on third-and-6 with a minute to play.

“We had our opportunities,” Philipopoulos said. “Just turnovers at inopportune time, and just when we thought we had the momentum, they took it back. And we just couldn’t quite finish.”

The Cougars needed just 199 yards of total offense to get the win. HMB produced in the clutch, though, converting 6 of 10 third-down tries, and 1 of 2 in fourth-downs.

Heath — who has known Ekis since his Half Moon Bay youth football days — was glowing over helping his new head coach to his first win.

“It means a lot,” Heath said. “He’s awesome. He’s been coaching me forever. I love him. ... It’s a long time coming and I ‘m glad we could win one for him.”