Prep football: Tam breathes new life into season with win over Redwood
The Red-tailed Hawks hoisted their golden trophy in an air of a championship celebration after Tam High’s hard-fought win over archrival Redwood on Saturday.
“This is the one that mattered to us,” said Hawks senior Tyler Weisberg, who iced the 7-2 victory with a last-minute interception deep in Tam territory. “This was the game we had circled all season.”
The Hawks (2-5, 2-1 Redwood Empire Valley) retained the series trophy, a golden statue of a football, after winning the showdown against the Giants (3-4, 1-2) for the third consecutive year. More importantly, it keeps Tam alive in the hunt for the Valley Division title.
“It’s same story as last year, different chapter. This win gives us new life to our season, like last year. We really want to keep stacking these wins,” Tam head coach Anthony Mejia said.
The Hawks could, theoretically, grab a share of the Valley crown with a win over Casa Grande (2-4, 2-0) in two weeks. Tam would still need some help, though, after an earlier loss to American Canyon (5-1, 2-0).
The Giants saw their title hopes all but vanish after two difficult losses in a row. Redwood nearly rallied past Casa Grande in Petaluma on Oct. 4 before falling 31-28.
“We didn’t play good enough as a team today,” Redwood head coach Allen Talley admitted. “This was just a bad day.”
Tam’s offense finally got the opening it was looking for after 41 minutes of back-and-forth grinding against an relentless Redwood defense.
After the Giants were forced to punt from their own 10 on a three-and-out, the Red-tailed Hawks took possession of the ball near midfield. A quick 16-yard pass from Henry Tuttle to Cole Kramlich got the Hawks to the Redwood 38.
Tuttle unleashed a rocket on second down, junior receiver Streeter Holt jumped above Giants safety Hunter Stein to pluck the ball from midair then fought his way the remaining 15 yards for the winning touchdown with 6 minutes, 42 seconds left to play.
“We tried to hit that play earlier on the previous drive and we didn’t get the look we wanted,” Mejia said. “We didn’t get the look we wanted initially the second time around either. I told Tuttle that we want to make sure, to look for a spot. He delivered on that one. He put the ball where we needed it, and Streeter Holt went up and made a great play.”
The Giants started their next drive from their own 30, and senior running back Riley Ulin helped march his team downfield, gaining 24 yards on five carries, determined to even the score. The goal loomed within reach as the Giants stood on the Tam 30, when suddenly Weisberg ran out from behind a screen to intercept a Cash Ward pass at the Tam 18, ending Redwood’s last hope with 1:07 to play.
The Hawks hardly gave Redwood a chance to touch the ball the rest of the game, running the ball for a short gain, then taking the knee twice, before opting for a safety instead of risking a punt.
Neither offense got much going as two stubborn defenses dominated the day in what Talley called a “slobberknocker.”
“I didn’t think it was going to come down to one possession for each of us, but we knew this would be tough,” Mejia said. “With the rivalry that’s there, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Having to use every second of the game, I think these kids truly showed the kind of team we are once we stop making self-inflicted mistakes.”
Redwood’s defense held Tam’s ground game to just 69 rushing yards, but Tuttle was able to connect on 12 of 26 passes for 178 yards despite constant heavy pressure that caused an interception and nearly resulted in several other turnovers.
Tam’s defense held the Giants to 133 yards, including 91 yards by Riley Ulin on 18 carries. Quarterbacks Tommy Vasquez and Cash Ward combined for just six completed passes for 23 yards. Ward was intercepted twice and Vasquez was dropped for a 4-yard loss.
Tam 7, Redwood 2
Redwood Empire Valley
Redwood 0 0 0 2 — 2
Tam 0 0 0 7 — 7
SCORING SUMMARY
T — Holt 38 pass from Tuttle (Keane kick)
R — safety
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Red, Ulin 18-91, T. Vasquez 4-5, Ward 2-7, Reilly 3-5, McGrath 1-2. Totals 28-110. Tam, Kelsey 15-37, Holt 2-21, Green 2-8, Tuttle 1-4, Leach 4-(minus-1). Totals 24-69.
PASSING — Red, T. Vasquez 3-11-0 14, Ward 3-7-2 13. Sack: 1-(minus-4). Totals 6-18-2 23. Tam, Leach 1-2-0 12, Tuttle 12-26-1 178. Sack: 1-(minus-4). Totals 12-28-1 186.
RECEIVING — Red, D’Amario-McShane 3-11, Vaughn 3-16. Totals 6-27. Tam, Kramlich 5-58, Green 3-25, Holt 3-76, Ural 2-31. Totals 13-190.
Records — Tam 2-5, 2-1. Redwood 3-4, 1-2.