Football: Granada Unable to Keep Pace with Runaway Mustangs

Monte Vista 37, Granada 22

The Star: Granada's George Atkinson III could be found all over the field, scoring on a 66-yard reception to go with his 124 yards on the ground.

The Turning Point: Monte Vista quarterback Jeff Lockie slipped into the end zone from a yard out with eight minutes remaining in the game to put the Mustangs up by 15.  Matadors quarterback Jeremy Mata threw an interception the following drive, effectively putting the game out of reach.   

The Quote: "It hurts," Granada coach Tim Silva said.  "Today was a big game.  You just have to get up, wash your face, and get ready to go for the next one."

What's Next? Granada hosts Livermore Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

Bottom Line: The Matadors lost the battle at the line of scrimmage, as Monte Vista poured on 263 total rushing yards.

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The football team entered Friday's contest looking to bounce back from a pair of tough losses.  Midway through the second quarter it looked as if they were on the right track.

Unfortunately Monte Vista had other plans, as it outlasted the Madators 37-22. 

Granada pulled ahead of the Mustangs 14-13 less than a minute into the second quarter, when quarterback Jeremy Mata and George Atkinson III connected for a quick 66-yard strike.

However Monte Vista then responded with 17-straight points, ten of which came before halftime. 

Even then, the Matadors refused to go away.

As the fourth quarter got under way, tailbacks Eddie Horn and Atkinson III gashed the Mustang defense on consecutive plays for runs of 21 and 22 yards, respectively.

Jake Kearney would go on to punch it in from a yard out three plays later, narrowing the score to 30-22.

Not to be outdone, the Matadors punched back with a big drive of their own, highlighted by Adam Wenig's 62-yard catch and run down to the Granada 1 yard-line on a pass from Jeff Lockie.  Shortly thereafter, Lockie punctuated the drive with a quarterback keeper

"We cut it down to one score in the third quarter, but they answered with a big play," Matadors coach Tim Silva said of Wenig's big catch.  "We worked on that one in practice — they got us with it last year — but they're a great team and they made the play."

Granada's ensuing drive — along with its hopes of a comeback — ended quickly, as Mata was intercepted by Mike Sullas, whose play on defense was overshadowed by his dazzling 230 rushing yards on 41 carries. 

While Sullas — who spent the previous week nursing a knee injury — was surprised to get the ball 41 times, his coach, Craig Bergman, had planned to eat up yards on the ground before the game even began.

"We thought we could come out and move the line often, based on what they did," Bergman said.  "Mike Sullas is a warrior.  He's the heart of our team."

The Matadors now look forward to returning home for their season finale, where they will square off against in a crosstown rivalry game.  Silva says the significance is not lost on his team.

"These guys know. They're going to come out ready next game.  It's a rivalry game and (Livermore) will be excited, but we'll be ready to go."

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Monte Vista 37, Granada 22

Granada               7  7  0  8 — 22
Monte Vista         7 16 7  7 — 37

Scoring summary
8:50, 1st: MV — Sullas 10 run (Brown kick)

6:17, 1st: G — Mata 1 run (Long kick)

11:55, 2nd: MV — Sullas 6 run (Brown missed kick)

11:38, 2nd: G — Atkinson 66 pass from Mata (Long kick)

4:44, 2nd: MV — Putnam 6 run (Brown kick)

0:04, 2nd: MV — Brown 21 field goal

0:41, 3rd: MV — Wenig 9 pass from Lockie (Brown kick)

9:44, 4th: G — Kearney 1 (Long kick)

2:19, 4th: MV — Lockie 1 run (Brown kick)

Individual Statistics
Rushing (car-yards): G — Atkinson 13-124, Kearney 7-39, Horn 7-29, Mata 4-2.  MV — Sullas 41-230, Lockie 7-19, Putnam 4-14
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): G — Mata 8-20-149-1. MV — Lockie 11-20-176-0.
Receiving (rec-yards): G — Amick 4-74, Atkinson 2-64, Kearney 1-13, Horn 1-(-2).  MV — Wenig 4-134, McGovern 2-17, Turner 4-26, Sullas 1-(-1)

Team offense (rush-pass-total)
Granada 194-149-343
Monte Vista 263-176-439
Fumbles/lost: YV — 2/0; N — 3/1.
Records: Granada 5-4, 2-4.  Monte Vista 6-3, 4-2.

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