The St. Genevieve Valiants scored first, but couldn’t keep the momentum going in a loss to Great Oak, 27-17, in the second round of the Division 9 CIF Southern Section football playoffs.
It was a dogfight until the very end, and the Valiants were on the wrong side.
“We got tested today,” said Valiants head coach Billy Parra. “They did their homework. They stopped one of our top players and we couldn’t get going offensively. They had our number and we were on the field too long. There’s been games this year where we were down at halftime and that was the core of our team. It didn’t go our way today but I’m super proud of them.”
Both teams provided exciting plays in the first half with each team having at least two plays of more than 35 yards. However, the only time the Valiants managed to score came off what appeared to be busted coverage on a 46-yard passing touchdown from Michael Wynn to Ramario Rivas.
On the Wolfpack side, long methodical drives and a blocked punt helped wear down the Valiants. In the first half, the Valiants ran only 22 plays to the Wolfpack’s 36.
Ryder Smith led the Wolfpack in the first half with 91 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. The lopsided clock management was the beginning of the downfall of the Valiants.
With their backs against the wall, the Valiants needed to make something happen. They gave themselves a chance, scoring first in the second half with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Andy Carballo.
That would be the final time they would score. The run game became overwhelming as Smith scored his second touchdown of the night.
Smith went on to end his night with 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The final spark for the Valiants came from the efforts of Jaylin Burt, who already had a 60-yard return in the first half.
Burt snagged a key interception in the fourth quarter, but ultimately the Valiants would turn it over on downs. Burt’s interception added to his 41-yard rushing performance.
After the turnover on downs, the Wolfpack answered on the ensuing drive with a 27-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Reagan Ricken that iced the game. The Valiants season is officially over.
“They finished how we started,” said Parra. “They were committed to one another, trusted the process to believe in one another, to believe in Christ. To know that when things get hard we’re going to rely on one another, but again it just didn’t go our way today.”
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