Sports
Football: Stingy Acalanes Defense Shuts Out Ygnacio Valley
Swarming defense and timely offense help head coach knock off former school.
Acalanes 9 Ygnacio Valley 0
The Star: The Acalanes defense, led by senior linebackers Sumner Cortessis and Lucas Levine, shut down the Ygnacio Valley offense, limiting the Warriors to 71 total yards, including only three through the air.
The Turning Point: With the game scoreless late in the second quarter, Acalanes quarterback Mike Leamy connected with wide receiver Trent Baker on a 42-yard scoring strike, giving the Dons a lead they would not relinquish.
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The Quote: "I'm happy it's over, and so proud of how hard our team played — that was a physical game." – Acalanes head coach Mike Ivankovich
What's Next? After an inspiring win at home to start the season, the Dons head out for a Saturday afternoon game vs. Hayward at Dublin High (Sept. 11, 12:30pm).
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Bottom Line: Acalanes was able to control the clock, and come up with big plays on both sides of the ball: a classic grind-it-out football game.
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After an emotional 9-0 victory over Ygnacio Valley, the team he coached for 14 seasons, Acalanes head coach Mike Ivankovich spoke to his team, greeted friends and family, and had a big bear hug for senior linebacker Sumner Cortessis.
If only the coach could wrap his arms around the entire defensive unit, because they deserved it.
Led by Cortessis and linebacker Lucas Levine, the Dons completely shut down Ygnacio Valley, allowing 68 total rushing yards on 19 carries.
Both offenses started out sluggish until Acalanes found a rhythm with its newly installed double-wing, double-tight offense, which Ivankovich succeeded with in his days coaching Ygnacio Valley.
After forcing a punt with 8:01 to play in the first half, Acalanes marched on an eight-play, 64-yard drive, consisting of seven consecutive runs to start the drive.
The eighth and final play of the drive turned out to be a game-changer.
On second-and-12, senior quarterback Mike Leamy connected with wide receiver Trent Baker on a 42-yard touchdown strike.
Baker, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior, lined up in the right slot, and streaked past the secondary, hauling in a perfect pass from his quarterback.
"The safety was shaded to the left," Leamy said. "It was an obvious post pattern – wide open."
The second half belonged to the defense, and in particular, Levine.
With Ygnacio Valley moving down the field on its first possession of the second half, the senior linebacker picked off a deflected pass at the 15-yard line and returned it to the 29-yard line, halting the Warrior's longest drive of the game.
After the Dons next drive stalled, and with Ygnacio Valley pinned back on its three-yard line, Levine broke into the backfield and took down running back Anthony Barnett for a safety, completing the game's scoring.
For Levine, it was a night of firsts.
"(Linebacker) is a new position for me, after playing cornerback last year," Levine said. "I feel way more comfortable at linebacker, and it was the first shutout our unit has ever had together."
While the linebackers swarmed around the ball, the Acalanes defensive line controlled the point of attack, led by junior defensive tackles Mike Brady and Phillip Rowley.
The Acalanes offense didn't put up huge numbers, but got a solid contribution from running backs Chris Doherty (44 yards) and Joe Dreyer (23 yards), who set the table for Leamy's connection to Baker.
Leamy finished with only four completions for 89 yards, but three went for first downs, and the fourth found the end zone.
In the end, Ivankovich was proud of the way his team played, and had nothing but respect for his former squad.
"That's Ygnacio Valley," Ivankovich said. "And their kids bring it."
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Acalanes 9 Ygnacio Valley 0
Acalanes 0 7 0 2 - 9
Ygnacio Valley 0 0 0 0 - 0
Scoring Summary
2:32, 2nd Acalanes - Baker 42 pass from Leamy (Nork kick)
7:29, 4th Acalanes - Levine, safety
Individual Statistics
Rushing (car-yards): Acalanes - Doherty 11-44, Dreyer, 11-23, Gardner 4-11, Sierra 3-6, Newman 1-6, Edwards 1-0, Leamy 2-(-15). YV - Quezadas 11-37, Reyes 6-22, Pope 4-10, Barnett 2-6, Talia 2-3, Pratt 2-2, Jones 1(-9).
Passing (comp-att-yards-ints): Acalanes - Leamy 4-10-89. YV - Pope 1-6-3-1
Receiving (Rec-yards): Acalanes - Baker 2-51, Gardner 1-22, Levine 1-16. YV - Talia 1-3.
Team Offense (rushing-passing-total)
Acalanes — 75-89-164
Ygnacio Valley — 68-3-71
Fumbles/lost: Acalanes - 0/0; Ygnacio Valley - 0/0
Records: Acalanes 1-0; Ygnacio Valley 0-1.
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