By Kevin D. Shallat
The start of the game played out like many thought it would. Junior James King scored a touchdown for the Matadors on a 17 yard pass from quarterback Trevor Boswell. Wide receivers James Giles and AJ Taylor had seven and five catches respectively for the Mats.
The Matadors played inspired defense throughout the first two quarters, keeping a close score in the energized atmosphere, with the game tied 7-7 heading into the half. Then Campolindo wide receiver Luke Crossley scored a touchdown with ten seconds before the half on a beautifully lofted seven yard pass from quarterback Scott Scharff.
Halfback Alex Golesorkhi did what he could for the Mats Friday night, as he recorded 42 yards on 11 rushes. However, the second half was clearly dominated by the Cougars. Scharff, the Cougars senior quarterback was a big reason the Cougars were able to win this game decisively, as he was able to get the ball to so many different players on the Campo team. “We knew Nick (Mascheroni) was going to be double or triple teamed, so we had to find a way to get the ball to our four great backs,” Scharff said.
The third quarter was decisive for the Cougars as it had the most dazzling and important scores of the night. A mishandle punt by Miramonte led to a Cougar safety. Campo also used the flea flicker play in this quarter that caught the Matadors off guard. Scharff connected with senior wide receiver Luke Crossley for a huge gain, and moments later Scharff launched another great pass to senior wide receiver Mascheroni for a touchdown.
With 16-7 score in favor of Campolindo at the start of the fourth quarter, there was still time for Miramonte to come back, but the Mats could not generate enough first downs to get the offense going. The biggest play of the game for the Cougars came on a third down pass to senior tight end Nathan Kinney, who caught for a first down, allowing the Cougars to use up time on the clock.
Minutes later, Crossley caught another pass for a first down that appeared to seal the Matadors fate. As good as the Cougars offense was, the defense deserves much of the credit, as junior cornerback Fern Fadelli and the rest of the defense did well to keep a powerful Matadors offense to seven points on the night. Junior running back Kawa Kazzaz put the finishing touches on the game as he rushed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with nine carries for 66 yards.
Campolindo may have pulled out an upset Friday night, but the Cougars didn’t prepare for the game thinking they were the underdogs. “We kept telling ourselves that we were better than them,” Scharff said. “We hit the weight room every day and prepared nine months for this game.”
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