Sequoia falls in CCS Division V football finals

The Ravens (7-6) possessed the ball twice more, taking over for the game’s final possession at their own 27-yard line with 1:03 to play. Senior quarterback Shawn Royer led a spirited drive with completions of 10, 9, 7 and 4 yards. Then on third-and-6 from the 49, Royer connected with senior running back Jordan Crockett on a wheel route, but Crockett was brought down at the Leland 16-yard line as time expired.

“I always think Jordan’s got a chance to get to the end zone,” Royer said. “Whenever we can get the ball in his hands, he’s an absolute playmaker. So, I always think Jordan can score.”

On the final play, Crockett picked up 28 yards but had a chance to run out of bounds to stop the clock with five seconds to play. As he moved up the sideline, however, he decided to go for it, cutting back and taking on one Leland defender, who the powerful 6-foot running back stood up and pushed through as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

“I caught the ball and I had enough time to look up, and I was: ‘OK, five seconds, I can’t go out,’” Crockett said. “So, I saw one guy and I saw three of my teammates upfield ready to block. So, I got the first guy off me, no biggie. Then came the cavalry, pretty much.”

It was a painstaking final two seconds as Crockett’s teammates looked across the field, the hope in their eyes turning to disbelief as one Chargers defender wrapped up Crockett’s leg, and two more converged to bring him down.

“I got hit so hard ... I started to see blue,” Crockett said. “Done.”

Sequoia head coach Frank Mems said the final play was a testament to Crockett’s heart.

“That’s his heart,” Mems said. “Grit, determination. You put the ball in your best player’s hands. He was probably just trying to get the job done. ... Last week, we’re telling him to hold on to a ball, get out of bounds, and he breaks it. This week it didn’t work in our favor.”

Mems was referring to Sequoia’s 21-6 win over South City in the CCS semifinals, Friday, Nov. 22, when Crockett emerged from a glut of defenders in the middle of the field to break an unlikely 41-yard run. The running back has been the quintessential comeback story for the Ravens all season. Not only did the team open the year 0-4 without him, only to win seven of its next eight games after his return, Crockett also took on double duty in the semifinals and finals by playing defensive end in the wake of three Sequoia linemen being lost for the season.

The fairytale ending was not to be, however, despite Crockett gaining 98 total yards of offense (17 carries for 60 yards, and one touchdown on the ground; two receptions for 38 yards) while totaling 1 1/2 sacks and one quarterback hurry on defense.

The Chargers, who outgained Sequoia 377-375 in total yards, contained the Ravens’ ground game well. It was the first time in nine games this season that Crockett did not rush for over 100 yards. He finishes the year with 1,207 rushing yards on the year.

“We wanted to really have him focus on [Crockett],” Leland head coach Kelly King Jr. said. “Our game plan was we weren’t going to let [Crockett] beat us.”

Leland’s answer was senior Hudson Vye, a two-way star in his own right, who doubled between running back and linebacker. The senior totaled just five carries in the first half, but erupted in the second to total 12 carries for 113 yards.

“[Crockett] was a monster on film,” King said. “So, we kind of focused ... on the defensive side. Then in the second half we kind of let him [Vye] a little bit. He’s a bigger back. It just takes some wear and tear on the defense.”

Sequoia responded with a sharp aerial attack. Royer was 23-of-31 passing for a career-high 287 yards with one touchdown.

“Shawn was great,” Mems said. “Shawn knew once we got the film and seeing how they were loading the box that he was going to have to make some throws. And I just told him to be confident in his ability, come out swinging and don’t stop. And that’s exactly what he did. I’m so proud of that kid.”

Royer’s best target was junior receiver Randy Nuñez, who lit it up with 16 catches for 215 yards and a TD.

“He’s a competitor,” Mems said. “And big-time players show up in big-time games. So, I expected nothing less from him.”

Sequoia’s surprising pass attack was overcome by penalties, however. The Ravens totaled 66 1/2 penalty yards, with a slew of false starts and holding penalties each coming at times that seems to stifle momentum.

“The penalties were killing us, I would say,” Royer said. “There were a lot of false starts, a lot of mental mistakes, and I think unfortunately I think the moment got to us a little bit, and jitters happen.”

The penalties took a toll from the outset. Sequoia took a touchback on the opening kickoff, but got backed up to its own 5, thanks in part to two false starts. Then, punting out of their own end zone, the Ravens had the punt blocked with sophomore Chris Verdusco astutely kicking the loose ball out of the back of the end zone, avoiding a Leland recovery for a touchdown, and settling on taking a safety.

After a Leland three-and-out, Sequoia took over at its own 10. But Royer led a nine-play, 90-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 41-yard bomb to Nuñez into the red zone. Three plays later, Crockett swept into the end zone to put the Ravens up 7-2.

Leland answered right back, opening near midfield with a flea-flicker from Gibson to senior Brady Hernandez for a 36-yard pickup. Five plays later, Gibson dove in with a QB sneak — but a failed two-point conversion try left the Chargers’ lead at 8-7.

Leland upped the lead to 15-7 on a 27-yard pass from Gibson to Hernandez early in the second quarter. But Sequoia finished the half with two unanswered scores. The first was a 15-play, 75-yard drive, highlighted by a fourth-down pickup on an 11-yard pass from Royer to Nuñez. But the big play came on third-and-16, with Sequoia picking up 10 yards but getting flagged for holding. Instead of backing Sequoia up for third-and-25, however, Leland declined the penalty.

“Coming in we knew they liked to run the ball,” King said. “So, I wanted to limit their possessions. They obviously were very hot in the first half throwing the ball. Just a gut feeling there. Obviously, it doesn’t work out all the time, but you can’t second guess those decisions.”

The Ravens moved the chains on the next play with an 11-yard pass from Royer to Nuñez. Four plays later, senior Marco Baisch pounded it in for a 2-yard score to give his team a 15-14 lead.

Then after a Leland three-and-out, Sequoia took over at its own 33 with 2:26 left in the half, and scored a fortuitous touchdown on first-and-goal from the Chargers’ 5. Royer looked for receiver Blake Whitaker in the end zone. The throw hit the sophomore in the hands, but popped into the air for a free ball, only to land in the arms of Nuñez, between two defenders, in the back of the end zone for the score to give the Ravens a 21-15 lead.

In the second half, however, the bounces went Leland’s way.

The Ravens had a golden opportunity when senior Justin Schernig was gifted an interception at midfield on an ill-advised Leland throw with the QB in the grasp of junior rusher Nolan Fausto. Sequoia moved the ball to the Chargers’ 35, but that’s when a Royer pass was intercepted by Hernandez at the Leland 9.

The Chargers marches 91 yards on the ensuing driving, using 14 plays, capped by a 19-yard QB keeper by Gibson to tie it 21-21; with an exciting blocked point-after try by Nuñez keeping the score deadlocked.

Three straight possessions stalled, giving Leland the ball at its own 34 with 5:52 to play. That’s when the Chargers went to the air with a pass that was mere inches from swinging the game Sequoia’s way. Hudson looked for Hernandez on a short hitch route. Nuñez was guarding Hernandez and recovered nicely with the ball in the air, sprinting toward the spot and seeming to get there, only to have the ball just miss his fingertips.

“It was really close,” King said. “It looked like it went right through his hands.”

Instead of a deflection or even an interception, Hernandez hauled in the pass and rambled 76 yards for the go-ahead score.

“Game of inches,” Mems said. “Last week, he walks that in for a pick-6. This week it wasn’t on our side. You can’t be mad at that. It’s just a game of inches.”

The CCS title marks Leland’s third all-time, and its first since 1996 at the Division II level.

Sequoia is now 0-3 in CCS championship games. Previously known as the Cherokees, the program fell in the 2010 Division II finals 47-14 to Willow Glen, and in the 1986 Division II North finals 9-7 to San Mateo.