Ravens fly high in CCS opener

So, it wasn’t technically a shutout. But with Sequoia turning to its second defensive unit in the fourth quarter — for a program that hasn’t shut out an opponent since Week 1 of the 2023 season — it certainly felt like one.

“Super, super proud of our defense,” Sequoia head coach Frank Mems said. “Early in the first half, our offense put them in some bad spots, and they were able to get out of it.”

The toughest spot came late in the first half.

Sequoia’s defense set a furious pace early on, holding Gunn to negative-5 yards in the first half. When Sequoia, holding a 6-0 lead, fumbled the ball at its own 30 midway through the second quarter, the Titans had their best chance to strike.

Quarterback JJ Racz moved the ball with a 10-yard pass to Andre Lee, followed by runs of 10 and 7 yards to put the ball at the 3. Then the Sequoia defense stepped up, with a tackle for a loss by Sky Edlinger on second down. A short third-down pass was dropped at the 2 by junior cornerback Randy Nunez, prompting Gunn to attempt a 19-yard field goal with just over two minutes to go in the half.

“We’ve been battle tested, going through the Half Moon Bays, going through the San Mateos,” Mems said. “So, that’s one thing that we prided ourselves going through this week was we’ve been in these situations. We know when we have to stand up.”

The field-goal try turned into a lightning strike for Sequoia, as the low-angled kick went right into the Ravens’ rush for a block, and senior Justin Schernig scooped it up and returned it across midfield to the Gunn 45. Five plays later — after a 27-yard completion from quarterback Shawn Royer to Marco Baisch — the Ravens scored on an 11-yard sweep by senior running back Jordan Crockett to take a 13-0 lead into the half.

Crockett gained 134 total yards in the game, including 17 carries for 83 rushing yards. The sturdy 6-foot, 200-pound senior set the tone by carrying the ball 10 times on the Ravens’ first 14 plays from scrimmage.

“Jordan Crockett helps me take off a lot of stress from me,” Royer said. “I can hand the ball off and watch him do his thing, and I think that makes it ever easier for me. I think when Jordan gets running, and teams have got to bring eight into the box and they don’t have any safeties up top, it makes the passing game that much easier for me.”

After Crockett drew in the defense in early, the Ravens turned to “Air” Royer. The senior got Sequoia on the board on the team’s second possession, connecting with Nunez on a short out route for a 12-yard touchdown score.

“Regardless, we always want to try to dictate the run game,” Mems said. “And they came in with a nice curveball. So, that was our plan B — we wanted to make sure our pass game was developed, and that we were confident in what we were calling. And our quarterback went out there and executed.”

Gunn was flagged for offside on the ensuing point-after try, and the Ravens opted to attempt a two-point conversion. But the handoff exchange was bobbled, and the run got dropped in the backfield, keeping the Ravens’ lead at 6-0.

Gunn’s ensuing drive went nowhere, sending the game into the second quarter with the Titans netting negative-5 yards of offense through the first. But a booming punt by Gunn senior Samuel Dellenbach helped sway the momentum.

Dellenbach connected for a 56-yard punt to the Sequoia 11. The Ravens were stopped for a three-and-out, with the ensuing punt downed short of midfield. Gunn finally got its offense moving, and drove to the Ravens’ 27 before a fourth-down attempt was dropped at the line of scrimmage by Nunez and senior defensive end Chapel Meza Thorborne. But Sequoia took over and fumbled on first down, setting the stage for the Ravens’ game-saving defensive stand.

Sequoia’s defensive excellence was bittersweet, however. The Ravens lost three starting defenders to injury. Thorborne — who opened the game with back-to-back tackles for a loss — was carted off late in the first half and taken to the hospital with an arm injury. In the second half, senior defensive end Aedan Macias and junior defensive tackle Nicco Veimau were carted off together after suffering leg injuries on the same play.

“One was still in high spirits, but we’ve got to check on our brothers,” Mems said. “Once they started to go down, I was just trying to get guys out.”

Royer enjoyed a good night, going 8-of-11 passing for 172 yards and three touchdowns.

In the second half, a third-down sack by Sequoia linebacker Mosese Tangitau force a punt. The Ravens took over deep at their own 12. But a short shuffle pass from Royer to Crockett went for 52 yards to get Sequoia out of the red. On the end play, Royer aired out a 35-yard touchdown pass to Nunez to make it 20-0.

After a Gunn three-and-out, Sequoia went right back on the attack. A punt return across midfield by Baisch set up Royer and the offense for a 40-yard scoring strike to sophomore Blake Whitaker, who went low flying into the end zone for his first varsity touchdown. Whitaker punctuated the TD with quite a celebration, doing a running end-over-end front flip that drew a penalty flag from all the way across the field.

“That’s his first varsity touchdown, and what a way to celebrate it,” Royer said. “That’s one of the best celebrations I’ve seen at the high school level, for sure.”

Mems said he couldn’t rate the quality of the flip until he saw it.

“I haven’t seen it yet,” Mems said. “We did have to talk to him. You know, a young sophomore coming up and finally getting a couple touches, the kid was excited. I said: ‘Hey, you can’t do that.’”

Sequoia intercepted the Titans twice in the game. Nunez grabbed one on the penultimate play of the first half. In the second half, junior Mario Fausto capped the Ravens’ scoring with an interception and a 64-yard return for a pick-6.

The Ravens now advance to the CCS Division V semifinals. Sequoia will travel to No. 1 South City, the defending Division V champs, this coming Friday night.