Sequoia football: lucky AND good

But Sequoia has also seen its share of barnburners this season and it was those games that helped the Ravens improve to 10-1 on the year following a 51-50, double-overtime win over Overfelt in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division IV bracket last Friday night.

“I think our kids realize we can play with these teams,” said Sequoia head coach Rob Poulos, who is in his 14th season with the Ravens. “[Playing in those tight games in the regular season] reinforced the fact that when we get in these situations, you know it can break your way.”

Sequoia sharpened its mental toughness throughout the regular season. The Ravens used a goal-line stand on the final play of the game to preserve a 14-7 win over visiting Bonita Vista-Chula Vista in Week 2. Three weeks later, locked in a 14-14 tie with Los Altos, Sequoia’s Luke Holmes had a 75-yard pick-6 on the final play of the game to pull out a 21-14 win over the Eagles.

They then closed the regular season with a hard-fought 28-23 win over rival Carlmont.

“I think there is a confidence in winning those close games,” Poulos said. “We’ve been pretty lucky this year with situations that could have bit us in the butt and we learned from that. It didn’t cost us a league loss but it taught the kids that you’re good, but anybody can beat you at any time.”

All of that culminated in the second overtime period against eighth-seeded Overfelt, as the Ravens came up with the defensive stop when needed the most, stuffing the Royals’ 2-point try. A Sequoia touchdown and extra point sent the top-seeded Ravens to the CCS semifinals for the first time since 2012.

“Knowing they were having success with the toss, we were hitting it inconsistently (defensively),” Poulos said. “That’s what hit me: they’re going to go for 2 (in the second overtime). If that’s the one we hit, that keeps them out (of the end zone).”

Not surprisingly, it took a season-high offensive effort for Sequoia to advance to the final four for just the third time since 1986. Quarterback John Larios, the reigning Daily Journal Athlete of the Week, threw for more than 300 yards for the second week in a row with seven touchdowns the last two weeks.

The Ravens also did enough on the ground to keep the Overfelt defense honest. Sequoia rushed for 119 yards on 34 carries and scored four times.

Overall, Sequoia averages 31 points per game on offense, while the defense allows less than 20.

Up next for the top-seeded Ravens is a matchup with fourth-seeded Santa Teresa at 7 p.m. Friday in Redwood City. The Saints finished fourth in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top division, Mt. Hamilton, with a 2-3 league record and 5-5 overall.

Poulos said the Saints’ record is a bit deceiving. He said it is his understanding that Joseph Tapia missed three games this season, as stats reported to MaxPreps.com indicate Tapia appeared in eight games this year. In the film Poulos saw of the Saints, he said they were better with Tapia under center. It may have contributed to the Saints losing three in a row down the stretch — including dropping a pair of overtime decisions to division opponents — before they closed the season with a 43-6 win over Oak Grove.

They carried that momentum in the CCS playoffs where, as the No. 4 seed, they hosted No. 5 St. Francis-Watsonville and filleted the Sharks, 31-10.

Poulos said Santa Teresa tries to run a balanced offensive attack, although the Saints lean a little more on the run game, having rushed for 1,300 yards and throwing for 905 yards.

“They mix it back and forth (offensively),” Poulos said. “Their quarterback does a great job of distributing the ball. … They’ll quickly put you in a [stressful position].

“I was really impressed by how disciplined they are.”

Santa Teresa comes into the game averaging a little over 25 per game, while allowing a little more than two touchdowns.