Led by clutch defense, San Ramon Valley pulls away late to beat California in league opener
DANVILLE – No matter the records or circumstances, San Ramon Valley’s annual league game against California is always a big deal.
The two schools, separated by just three freeway exits, battled on Friday night for bragging rights and the chance to stay undefeated.
Led by a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter, SRV came out victorious with a 38-26 win at home in an East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division opener.
“It’s a close-town rivalry,” said SRV linebacker Marco Jones. “We grew up with a lot of these guys, so it’s a good game no matter what our records. It was a tough win and it’s a big step so far for us this season.”
With a highly anticipated matchup next week against De La Salle — the Bay Area News Group’s No. 1 ranked team — Friday’s win gives the undefeated Wolves momentum in what will be a highly-anticipated game.
“It’s another layer of confidence that we’re continuing to do the right things,” said SRV head coach Aaron Becker. “Hopefully we’re ready to take on that challenge.”
SRV’s defense forced three interceptions and got to the quarterback four times – three of which came in the final six minutes of the game.
Running back Matthew Garibaldi led the Wolves with 236 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Garibaldi also caught a nine-yard score from quarterback Rhett Thompson, who finished with 167 yards and three touchdowns.
Cal running back Jhadis Luckey led the Grizzlies with 159 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
SRV took a two-score lead in the second quarter after Thompson found Owen Scott for an eight-yard touchdown.
On the next possession, California drove 83 yards in seven plays that ended with Luckey’s second touchdown of the first half, this time from five yards out.
Noah Henzi’s 21-yard field goal gave SRV a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Entering the second half, SRV looked dominant.
The Wolves forced a three-and-out on Cal’s first possession of the third quarter. On the ensuing possession, Thompson threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Evan Economos that gave SRV a commanding 31-14 lead.
But Cal didn’t go away.
The Grizzlies responded later in the quarter with a three-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 69-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Arjun Banerjee to wide receiver Nic Fox that made it a two-score game.
Cal got the ball to start the fourth quarter and inched closer to the SRV lead. Banerjee found Fox again, this time for a 58-yard touchdown. The Grizzlies couldn’t convert the two-point conversion, but cut the SRV deficit down to just five, 31-26, with under 10 minutes to play.
SRV didn’t panic.
The Wolves went back to the run game, feeding Garibaldi the ball to get them into the red zone.
SRV marched 65 yards in exactly three minutes, ending with Garibaldi evading defenders on a screen pass to the end zone.
“Their defensive ends weren’t applying much pressure to us,” said SRV left tackle Jason Doyle on how the offensive line created running lanes for Garibaldi. “We were able to kick them out and run a lot of force plays. That allowed us to get our full backs up through the line and wrap up the linebacker. “
Down 12 with 6:43 left in the game, Cal still had a chance to stay in the game but needed to score quickly.
SRV’s defense didn’t allow that to happen.
On third-and-long near midfield, Jones and senior edge rusher Braeden Forschler got to the quarterback to force a long fourth down try that Cal wouldn’t convert. The Grizzlies got the ball back with just under three minutes left, but the Wolves’ defense came up big again with defensive end Kaleb Pleis sacking the quarterback on a fourth down try to seal the game for SRV.
Despite giving up its highest point total of the season, SRV’s was dominant for most of the game. Tyler Petersen, Dylan Deitsch and Henry Ellis each had an interception. Petersen and senior Thomas Carpenter had a sack in Friday’s game.
“The kids made plays,” Becker said of his defense in the fourth quarter. “We had some good pressure and some good coverage. With those two combined, they really helped out.”
Added Jones, “I think it came down to just understanding what their game plan was. They got really good players, their running back is a really talented guy. We understood they were going to get some chunk plays, but really being able to sustain our defense in the long run and throughout the whole game was key.”
While SRV has won the last six matchups dating back to 2018, the Wolves still look at this game as a rivalry. Both teams did their fair share of gamesmanship even before the season started.
“Cal is a local team, so we went into this week pretty serious,” Doyle said. “We had a seven-on-seven game this summer and they were chatting a lot. We definitely wanted to put it to them in this game.”
Despite losing its first game of the season, Cal coach Danny Calcagno said he was proud of how his team responded to getting down in the game early.
“They battled,” Calcagno said. “They work hard and they don’t give up. That’s their makeup.”
While Cal’s offense struggled with turnovers, Calcagno still believes in his junior leader under center.
“(Arjun) has to keep his head up because he’s our guys for the next two years,” Calcagno said. “He’s got to be the guy. But we also have to do a better job of just preparing him during the week.”
SRV (7-0, 1-0) will have its biggest test of the season next Friday against De La Salle on the road. Cal (6-1, 0-1) is scheduled to host Monte Vista on Friday.