Top of the town: Granada pulls away from Livermore in NCS Division IV playoff opener
LIVERMORE – Like many tales, the sequel wasn’t as thrilling as the original. Granada didn’t need an epic second-half comeback to vanquish crosstown rival Livermore in a one-point victory like it did a week ago.
But Granada’s 28-14 North Coast Section Division IV first-round victory over the Cowboys was still heartily celebrated by senior left tackle Dawson Kerezsi and the rest of his Matadors teammates on Friday night.
“They played a hell of a ballgame, but Granada stands on top,” Kerezsi said.
Granada will travel to No. 2 seed American Canyon next Friday night.
Estevan Duarte rushed for two touchdowns and pulled in four passes for 33 yards. The hard-running Noah Blake led the team with 71 rushing yards on 22 carries, and Seth Sanchez paced the Matadors with 101 yards and a touchdown in front of an almost-capacity crowd.
Quarterback Jack Badger threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, while also keeping a number of drives alive with nifty scrambles.
“This is Granada’s town,” Badger said.
The week prior, Granada defeated its rival 28-27 in a barnburner. The Matadors rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit and captured its first league title since 2018 and – perhaps more importantly – denied Livermore its first league crown since 1993.
Seven days after losing the East Bay Athletic League Valley Division championship, Livermore came into Friday’s still smarting from its defeat.
Kamarri Robinson ran for 86 yards on nine carries, one of those a 15-yarder that ended with Robinson hurdling over a tackler Najee Harris-style. Matteo Lortie threw for 209 yards and a touchdown to Matthew Benson on the opening drive.
“We’re going to learn from this,” said senior Livermore offensive lineman Brandon Giamona, who added that the team dedicated the season to the late Scott Baswell, a former assistant coach. “To lose tonight, when we dedicated this season to him, it is hard.”
After Benson’s touchdown, the teams exchanged scoreless drives. Then Granada went on an 11-play, six-minute drive that ended with Duarte following Kerezsi’s crushing block for a 3-yard touchdown.
The first half ended with fireworks. Lortie threw a 42-yard bomb to CT Harper for a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining that gave Livermore a 14-7 lead. But Granada drove down the field in four plays, and Badger concluded the drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Richards in the corner of the end zone with one second on the clock.
Granada then took control in the second half. Sanchez’s 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown gave the Matadors the lead with 10:11 left in the third quarter, and a defense led by Haven Hahn and Kameron Huffman shut down the Cowboys.
Duarte sealed the win with a five-yard touchdown with two minutes remaining.
Up next is American Canyon.
“This being the first playoff win in six years, and against our rival, it feels good,” Kerezsi said.