SAN MATEO — All it took was a couple handoffs to Grayson Doslak.
That’s an understatement, of course. But one drive, made up entirely of carries by Los Gatos’ senior running back, changed the game in the Wildcats’ 14-7 win over Serra in the first round of the Central Coast Section Open/Division I playoffs on Saturday.
Los Gatos trailed 7-6 in the third quarter and had just forced a fumble to stop a promising Serra drive. That’s when Doslak got to work.
On six consecutive rushing attempts spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, Doslak gained 79 yards, punctuated by a 1-yard run to put the Wildcats up 12-7. A two-point conversion pass from Scotty Brennan to Beau Musser made it 14-7, and that was all the Cats’ defense would need the rest of the way.
“Everyone was just clicking,” Doslak said. “We realized that we’ve got to rely on the run game to beat these guys. Our line was ready. Everyone was fired up.”
It wasn’t all the run game, though that certainly played an outsized role down the stretch. But two forced fumbles by Los Gatos’ defense were a major key as well.
After the Cats (9-2) took the lead in the fourth quarter, Serra responded with a 10-play drive that advanced to Los Gatos’ 35-yard line.
But no further. The Wildcats punched the ball out of Nano Latu’s hands and pounced on it to snuff out Serra’s potential game-tying drive.
Los Gatos coach Mark Krail speaks with his team after they defeated Serra during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
“We saw a little bit of looseness with the ball,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail said. “And we knew if we just kept pounding bodies on them, things were going to happen.”
The win over Serra was Los Gatos’ first since 2014, the last meeting between the Bay Area powerhouses. As Los Gatos’ coach, Krail is now 2-0 against Serra coach Patrick Walsh. Walsh’s Padres beat Krail’s Pioneer team in a 2009 CCS game.
Serra’s loss Saturday was its first loss in CCS play since 2018. The Padres, who had represented Northern California in the CIF Open Division state championship three years in a row, entered this year’s playoffs as a No. 4 seed.
By virtue of their seed, Serra (5-6) didn’t have a shot at the Open title this season. Now, the Padres are faced with a much earlier end to the year than they have experienced in some time.
“We’ve got to improve as coaches and figure out ways that we can motivate better in a year like this,” Walsh said. “We haven’t been here in a long time. And that’s something that I’m going to have to face in the offseason, to make sure that the ‘25 Padres are more prepared than I got the ‘24 Padres to win on the scoreboard.”
Fifth-seeded Los Gatos was poised to take the lead right before halftime, when Doslak’s run to the 1-yard line set them up with a golden opportunity. But after a false start penalty, Serra’s Teddy Chung intercepted a pass to keep the score 7-6.
That momentum-sapping turnover could have derailed the Cats. Instead, it strengthened their resolve.
“The message to them is, ‘If you don’t frickin’ believe, there’s something wrong with you,’” Krail said. “If you don’t believe we can win this game right now, then you don’t belong in this room. And our guys rose and they bought in, and they did what we asked them to do in the second half.”
Scotty Brennan (14) of Los Gatos scrambles for some yards while tackled by Kaimana Ancheta (45) of Serra during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Brennan bounced back nicely from his backbreaking interception, completing several chain-moving throws down the stretch. He credited his offensive line with giving him clean pockets to settle his mind and make crucial passes.
“There was a little bit of tension at halftime,” Brennan said. “And then as a team, we were like, ‘Hey, it’s football. Been doing it since Jan. 18. Everybody’s got to lock in, and we’re going to be good.’
“The O-line balled out today. Receivers balled out today. So really, all the credit goes to them. I didn’t really do much except sit back there, look pretty and throw the ball.”
The game started out with a patented Serra drive. The Padres ran 13 plays and took 6:58 off the clock, ending with a 1-yard touchdown run by Chung.
Beau Musser (11) of Los Gatos runs into the end zone after catching a long pass on a trick play against Serra during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos got on the board in the second quarter with a 50-yard flea-flicker pass from Brennan to a wide-open Musser. But down the stretch, the Wildcats imposed their will on the ground.
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“I could not be more proud,” Krail said to his team right after the clock ran out. “You guys played your tails off. Holy mackerel.”
Sometimes, football is complicated. Other times, it’s simpler. The team that runs the ball for scores late in the game wins.
“It’s the best part of football,” said Doslak, who rushed for 86 yards in the fourth quarter. “I’m a little biased, because I’m a running back. But I think that’s the greatest thing, where you can run and just pound into people.”
Matthew Ludeman (74), Mason Wend (27) of Los Gatos celebrate their victory over Junipero Serra after a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Chris Yoon (32) of Junipero Serra breaks through the Los Gatos defense for a gain during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Beau Musser (11) of Los Gatos celebrates catching a pass in the end zone for a two point conversion in the fourth quarter against Barrett Jermaine (0) of Junipero Serra as Max Thomas (0) of Los Gatos looks on during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Nano Latu (15) of Junipero Serra attempts to evade the tackle of Kayden Bakhtiari (23) of Los Gatos during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Cam Thomas (22) of Los Gatos attempts to catch a long pass while defended by Jusiah Vinson (5) of Junipero Serra during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
Scotty Brennan (14) of Los Gatos throws a long pass while defended by Quinn Seeberan (53) of Junipero Serra during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)
RJ Cannan (21) of Los Gatos tackles quarterback Andrew Heneghan (13) of Junipero Serra in the second quarter during a 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Football playoff game at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group)