Highlanders crush St. Patrick-St. Vincent; advance to second round against Willits at Witter Field on November 20.
Piedmont High School’s boys football team beat the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins, 49-7 on Nov. 14 in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 7 playoffs.
No. 2 seed Piedmont improved to 7-4 on the year. The Bruins finished the season at 7-4. With a muddy field and slippery ball, the game was filled with runs with only occasional passes.
Highlanders coach Jordan Seiden said the offensive line had a phenomenal game. “This was the most complete game we’ve played all season. I couldn’t ask for more. The whole offensive line are the MVPs,” Seiden said.
Left guard Adrian Kondakov said he was very proud of the offensive line. “We came as a group, and we executed. The way we played is the way we practiced, which was really hard. This is the first time we’ve contributed all four quarters, and it’s a big milestone,” Kondakov said.
The game started strong for Piedmont, with Mateo Long recovering an onside kick, followed by running back Xavier Henderson scoring a touchdown. Matias Seelenberger made the conversion, making the score 7-0 within the first two minutes of the first quarter. “All glory to my O-line,” Henderson said.
After some back and forth, St. Patrick-St. Vincent scored a touchdown on a 22-yard run by Dylan Santos with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. The quarter ended with the Bruins punting the ball, leaving Piedmont to start the second period on their own 32-yard line. Henderson ran for three first downs before the Bruins received a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Piedmont took the lead when wide receiver Cash Panico ran a post route and caught the ball in the end zone five minutes into the second quarter. Seelenberger made the kick, making it 14-7.
“First, I was thinking about my route, watching the ball right off the line, then I just saw the ball right up in the air, dove up and grabbed it and fell right down in the end zone,” Panico said.
The Bruins lost control of their following possession, going for it on fourth-and-eight on their own 49. Kion Hillary Jr. was stopped three yards short of the first down.
The Highlanders proceeded to run the ball down the field before fullback Colby Hong scored on a one-yard run and Seelenberger made yet another conversion with six minutes left in the second quarter.
The Bruins drove the ball down from their 29 all the way to the Highlanders 27 before defensive end John Bunje recovered a fumble.
“I had about two or three forced fumbles total (in the game). I think that was the best we’ve ever played,” Bunje said.
The Highlanders got the ball to start the third quarter and quarterback Jimmy Lagios capped the drive by hitting Panico for a 15-yard touchdown. Piedmont’s reign of terror didn’t stop there. With a deep kickoff, the Bruins were trapped at their 12-yard line before John Bunje sacked Curtis Berry IV and forced a fumble. Henry Brenna recovered for the Highlanders. Rohan Mumtaz scored on a two-yard run with another conversion made by Seelenberger, making the score 35-7.
St. Patrick-St. Vincent then turned the ball over on downs. The Highlanders took possession on the Bruins 47. One play later, Henderson broke free for a 47-yard touchdown. Again Seelenberger nailed the conversion.
“I think I played pretty good today. It was looking like a 300-yard rushing game. I was just thinking I had to get to the end zone. I was running for my life out there,” Henderson said.
Henderson finished with 200 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Piedmont dominated the boxscore, with 362 yards in total offense to 158 for the Bruins.
A short punt gave the Highlanders the ball on the Bruins 11. Lagios and Panico connected on the next play for the touchdown. Seelenberger made his seventh conversion, making the score 49-7 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter.
“I went seven for seven on one point conversions, made one onside kick which was recovered by (Hong),” Seelenberger said. “At first, I was a little tense, but as the score racked up I realized it didn’t really matter whether I made it or not, and that’s when I’m most calm.”
Long intercepted a pass on St. Patrick-St. Vincent’s next possession. The game had a running clock in the fourth quarter.
Panico finished with four catches for 49 yards and the three touchdowns. Lagios was six of 12 for 67 yards. Santos led St. Patrick-St. Vincent with 96 yards rushing on 18 attempts.
“We just gotta keep going forward, keep putting our head down and grinding out and move forward,” Seiden said. “I always tell them, it doesn’t matter who’s in front of us, it’s up to us. We determine our outcome. We still gotta go out there, do our jobs, and play hard football.”
Piedmont advances to the second round against Willits at Witter Field on Nov. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.