OAKLAND – Monday night’s football action saw standout performances from Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson and Arizona Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray.
Add Oakland Tech’s Caleb Rollins to that list, too.
With legendary Oakland football coach John Beam watching from the sidelines — Beam just announced his retirement — Tech dominated in a 45-0 blowout win over Skyline on the road behind 256 yards of total offense and five touchdowns from Rollins.
“My O-Line helped me get through the holes,” Rollins said. “I told them, ‘I just need a little bit of space to wiggle and I’ll be to the house.’”
It was one of the rare times a high school football game in the Bay Area was played on a Monday. The game was originally scheduled for last Friday, but the Keller Fire in the Oakland Hills forced many outdoor athletic events in Oakland to be postponed.
While the timing of Monday’s matchup threw both teams for a loop, the game itself felt like a normal Friday game.
The long sets of bleachers on the East side of Skyline’s football field were just as packed as they would have been if the game was played at the end of the week. Skyline honored its homecoming kings and queens at halftime while the concession tent was busy feeding hungry fans.
Fans watch as Oakland Tech plays Skyline High at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
But for the players and coaches, preparation for Monday’s game presented a different challenge.
“It’s different playing on a Monday night,” Oakland Tech coach Anthony McCrady said.
“You got to be in the NFL to play on Monday. It was different for all of us just trying to prepare while we were getting ready for last Friday. But we practiced yesterday, got some time in and prepared to go today. We took advantage of as much as we could.”
It was a roller coaster of a morning on Friday for Skyline coach Virdell Larkins III. Larkins, a teacher at Oak Elementary School. He first saw the fire when he pulled into work.
“I thought it was small at first,” he said. “When I came out to get my kids to the bus, it was up the hill and I was, like, ‘Oh man. They are about to stop that. They about to evacuate everyone.’ From there, I knew they were going to cancel (our game).”
Oakland Tech’s Caleb Rollins (1) leaps into the end zone in the third quarter of their game at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. There was a penalty on the play and the touchdown didn’t count. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The postponement of Friday’s games came just hours before kickoff, according to McCrady. Both Tech and Skyline practiced over the weekend to get ready for Monday’s game.
“It was just like a sudden thing that nobody really was ready for,” McCrady said. “Honestly, it just kind of threw us off. We just tried to ground our players and keep them motivated because they were a little discouraged. But at least the game was able to get rescheduled and not canceled. So, we really just appreciated the opportunity.”
As of Sunday evening, the Oakland Fire Department announced that the fire was 85% contained and that evacuation orders were lifted from all zones. According to a report from NBC Bay Area, two homes were damaged in the fire and one injury was reported.
Larkins never had to coach a Monday night game before, but called on a few of his NFL family members for guidance.
“I’m just talking to my cousin Josh (Johnson), Marshawn (Lynch) and Marcus (Peters) about it, and then they were just telling me how they was getting ready for Thursday games,” he said.
Tech didn’t miss a beat, getting off to a fast start in Monday’s game.
Rollins scored on the first play of the game, taking a handoff 65 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, he took a screen pass from quarterback Elijah Rucker 24 yards into the end zone to put the Bulldogs up 21-0.
Oakland Tech’s Caleb Rollins (1) runs for a touchdown in the third quarter of their game at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By halftime, Rollins had four touchdowns and Tech led Skyline 31-0. Senior Treon Hendrix led the Tech defense scooping up two Skyline fumbles in the first quarter.
Another Rucker to Rollins screen pass touchdown, this time from 36 yards out, put Tech up 38 points in the third quarter and the running clock rule was in full effect as Tech cruised to its fourth win of the season.
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Sophomore running back Elliot Gerbelot was a standout for Skyline, rushing for 86 yards on 22 carries.
Luckily for both teams, they will get some rest before playing in this week’s slate of games.
OAL commissioner Franky Navarro told this news organization on Monday that “all OAL games this week will be played on Saturday to accommodate the change but also our shortage of officials.”
Oakland Tech will be on the road again to play Fremont-Oakland. Skyline is scheduled to host McClymonds, which will be playing its first game since a brawl that took place against Fremont two weeks ago forced the perennial power to forfeit last week’s matchup against Castlemont.
Skyline High’s Elliot Gerbelot (8) is congratulated by Watson Rusk (7) in the third quarter of their game against Oakland Tech at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Oakland Tech’s Caleb Rollins (1) celebrates his touchdown with Vladimir Vassilev (55) in the third quarter of their game at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Oakland Tech’s Vernard Scott Jr. (5) and Caleb Rollins (1) celebrate in the third quarter of their game at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)