Football: Serra Wears Down Encinal In 42-13 Win

Serra-San Mateo 42, Encinal 13

The Star: Alex Bravo was the workhorse for Serra, running for 85 yards on 18 carries. 

The Turning Point: Encinal took a 6-0 lead into the second quarter, but had a punt blocked near its own goal line, which was picked up for a Serra touchdown with 9:19 left in the first half by Nicholas Prince.

The Quote: "This is what we needed," Encinal coach Joe Tenorio said. "We needed to play someone who would kick our (butt) all game long."

What's Next? Serra has a bye next week before starting West Catholic Athletic League play on Oct. 2 at Valley Christian

Bottom Line: The Padres started slow, but eventually got things rolling in an impressive win against an Encinal team which will likely finish the regular season without another loss.

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Encinal High football coach Joe Tenorio was looking for a challenge when he called Serra coach Patrick Walsh to setup a two-game series prior to last season.

His wish was granted, twice.

It took the Padres awhile to get going in Saturday's meeting with the Jets, but after grinding their way through three quarters the Padres pulled away late to win 42-13 at home.

"I think they just ran out of gas there at the end," Walsh said. "Same thing last year. We were tied and halftime, but we were able to wear them down. That's a good team for having just 25 guys."

The small-school Jets showed they have the talent and scheme to compete with the Central Coast Section power, but for the second year in a row, their lack of depth proved to be in the difference.

"This is what we needed," Tenorio said. "We needed to play someone who would kick our (butt) all game long."

Encinal got off to a good start, marching 80 yards in eight plays on the game's opening drive to take a 6-0 lead on a one-yard plunge from quarterback Andrew Ve'e.

Serra's first three drives ended with a punt, a blocked field goal and another punt before the Padres got the game's first big break. 

On fourth-and-14 from its own 16-yard line early in the second quarter, Encinal had a punt blocked by Serra's Nicholas Prince, who picked up the ball in the end zone to propel the Padres to a 7-6 lead.

"I have myself to blame for that," Tenorio said. "Myself and the other coaches have to have them more prepared. That's one of the tough parts about having a small team, we don't get a good (scout team in practice for) plays like that."

The Jets were forced to punt on their next possession, but got the ball back when Jon Allen stripped the Serra punt-returner and recovered the fumble to give Encinal the ball at the Serra 39. 

Nothing came of it, though, as the Jets turned the ball over on downs without picking up a first down.

Serra answered with an impressive 10-play, 65-yard drive, which was capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Alex Bravo with 46.5 second to go in the half.

After taking over at their own 45 to start the second half, the Padres needed five plays to take a 21-6 lead. Quarterback Andy McAlindon found Austin March for a 35-yard scoring strike as Serra started to pull away.

"(McAlindon) did a good job keeping drives alive," Walsh said. "I was really happy with his ability to run and pass."

McAlindon completed 6-of-13 pass attempts for 99 yards and rushed for 21 yards. 

"I told him after the game, he's really improved," Tenorio said of McAlindon. "I thought we did a good job defensively, but he made some plays with his feet that we weren't ready for."

Encinal kept the game close with a six-play, 53-yard touchdown drive which was capped by a 14-yard pass from Ve'e to Jon Trodder. Ve'e and Trodder also hooked up on the drive's key play — a 27-yard pass on third-and-four from the Serra 47.

Ve'e, who was making his first varsity start at quarterback after sitting out last week's win over El Cerrito with a bone fragments in his knee, completed 13-of-22 passes for 131 yards with one interception.

"Andrew did a good job coming out and making some throws," Tenorio said. "He's going to be good."

Ve'e knew playing a team like Serra (2-1), especially in his first game, would be a challenge. The Padres opened the season with a loss to De La Salle, but beat Monte Vista 28-21 last week in Danville.

"Their defense is pretty impressive," he said. "It was a really physical game, but we got a lot of confidence after going out with that first drive."

Leading 21-13, Serra's depth finally started to take its toll on the Jets.

Erich Wilson scored on an 18-yard run to make it 28-13 and Alex Bravo and Branden Quezada added touchdown runs to put the game away.

Tenorio told Walsh he'd like to continue the series next year, but Walsh, who said he'd consider it, isn't ready to commit to renewing it just yet.

Serra has a bye next week and will start West Catholic Athletic League play at Valley Christian on Nov. 2.

"(Valley Christian) is a championship caliber football program," Walsh said. "They are a very formidable opponent."

In their three non-league games against North Coast Section opponents, the Padres saw a little bit of everything, leaving Walsh encouraged as the rugged WCAL play approaches.

"De La Salle is the best in the country, Monte Vista has that great passing game and Encinal runs the ball really well," Walsh said. "We can't dictate what opposing teams run, but (the schedule) worked out well as preparation for league."

Wilson ran for 114 yards on 13 carries and Bravo added 85 yards on 18 carries. 

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Serra 42, Encinal 13

Encinal 6 0  7 0 — 13

Serra 0 14 7 21 — 42

Scoring Summary

8:05, 1st: E — Ve'e 1 run (kick blocked)

9:19, 2nd: S — Prince fumble recovery in end zone (Toms kick)

46.5, 2nd: S — Alspaugh 1 run (Toms kick)

10:17, 3rd: S — March 83 pass from McAindon (Toms kick)

1:19, 3rd: E — Trodder 14 pass from Ve'e (Trodder kick)

10:20, 4th: S — Wilson 18 run (Toms kick)

3:39, 4th: S — Bravo 3 run (Toms kick)

1:46, 4th: S — Quezada 9 run (Toms kick)

Individual Statistics

Rushing (car-yards): E — Allen 13-81, Trodder 7-51, Paschal 4-15, Okamura 2-10, Meno 2-6, Hill 3-3, Ve'e 10-1. S — Wilson 13-114, Bravo 18-85, McAindon 5-21, Romeo 1-12, Quezada 1-9, Timko 2-9. 

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): E — Ve'e 13-22-131-1. S — McAindon 6-13-99-0, Sattenwhile 0-1-0-0.

Receiving (Rec-yards):  E — Trodder 2-41, Bills 5-34, Paschal 1-20, Banks 2-18, Sinkfield 1-16, Allen 2-12. S — March 2-48, Northnagel 1-26, Timko 1-19, Crump 2-6.

Team Offense (rushing-passing-total)

Encinal 167-131-298

Serra 251-99-350

Fumbles/lost: Encinal 0/0; Serra 1/1.

Records: Encinal 1-1, Serra 2-1.