A power surge brought the lights down at Tom Nicoll stadium moments before play was about to begin, but a nail-biting defensive stand with 1:22 remaining in the game would be the most exciting moment in a hard fought De Anza league victory for the Wildcats.  The Titans had the ball 1st and 10 at the Wildcat 12 yard line with seconds left in the fourth quarter, but were turned away thanks to four outstanding Wildcat defensive plays. A great solo tackle by Jason Luke on 1st down sent the Titans 3 yards back. An incredible defensive play by Montreal Harris broke up a sure touchdown winning catch on 2nd down.  A deflected pass by Keenan O'conner on third down was followed by Senior Linebacker Kyle Candalaria's diving tackle on 4th and long to end the Titans last chance.  With the victory, the Wildcats are now 2-4 in De Anza league play. 

Notre Dame marched the ball 70 yards on 9 plays after the opening kickoff to take an early 8-0 lead.  The Cats responded with a 11 yard rushing score from Ron Hampton with 4:34 left in the first quarter. A two point conversion by Nico Matthews tied the game.  On the following kick-off, a bone jarring hit by Senior Defensive tackle Mike Pelz knocked the ball loose, giving the Cats great field position at the Titan 24 yard line.  On the next play from scrimmage Junior Qb Nico Matthews connected with Freshman wide out Montreal Harris on a beautiful 24 yard fade pass, giving the Cats their first lead of the game. On the next offensive series a fumbled punt snap gave the Titans a 2 point safety with with 8:34 to play in the second quarter. Notre Dame would score on a 10 play scoring drive that chewed up nearly 8 minutes to take a short lived 16-14 lead with one minute to play in the first half.  The Wildcats would respond by driving 71 yards in the final 48 seconds of the second quarter to retake the lead.  The Cats scoring drive was set up by a nifty 54 yard pass play. Senior Running back Ron Hampton made a dazzling 1 hand catch and then ran 50 yards deep into Notre Dame territory.  The ball was punched loose at the Notre Dame 20 yard line, but recovered by hustling offensive lineman Chris Dinkins.  Another toss and catch combo from Matthews to Harris gave the cats a 21-16 halftime lead.   The Cats would add to their lead on their first drive of the third quarter with a 31 yard scoring strike from Matthews to Kevin Wallace, making the score 28-16.  The teams battled back and forth until 4 minutes remaining in the game. The Titans would scored from 1 yard out and then convert on the two point conversion to bring the game within 4 points.  A Wildcat turnover at their own 34 yard line gave the Titans one more chance at victory. The Wildcats were not about to surrender easily, as they held the Titans out of the end zone in the final seconds to preserve the victory. The Wildcat defense was lead by Junior Linebacker Jason Luke, and Senior Db Kevin Wallace.  Key Defensive standouts on the night were Luke with 26 tackles, Wallace with 21, Kyle Candalaria and Matt Kozell each had 16 tackles as well.  The Titans grounded out 81 offensive plays to the Cats 34, but two goal line stands were the difference in the game.  Nico Matthews completed 8 of 10 passes for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Cats on the offensive end.

 

 

This was a much needed win for our team, and it was great to finally play a home game.  The kids played a great team game, and played with a lot of emotion.  Defensively we had 3 or 4 players involved in nearly every tackle, and they played with a lot of heart.  We need to take this same intensity with us on the road to Banning next Friday night. 

 

The Wildcats Travel to Banning to face the Broncos in their final road game of the season.  The Cats will finish the season with two home games against Great Oak and Desert Mirage.  Friday's game time is 4:45 for the Frosh- Soph, and 7:30 for the Varsity.