The Los Gatos High football team was on the cusp of bringing home the program’s first-ever CIF State Championship Bowl Game title.
However, the Wildcats came up just short following a 45-42 loss to Central Valley Christian of Visalia in the Division 2-A championship game at Pasadena City College on Dec. 9.
Despite the loss, it was a heck of a ride for Los Gatos High in 2023.
“This is all uncharted waters,” Wildcats coach Mark Krail said. “We have our banquet on Monday [Dec. 11] and so we’re going to turn right around and celebrate these guys. I think they’re going to take away from it a feeling of wow, we did some really good things.”
The Central Coast Section Division I champion Wildcats finished as the second best team in the section rankings after capturing its 16th title in the program’s history.
AJ Minyard and his senior teammates got over the playoff hump after losing to Bellarmine two years ago and then falling to Mitty in the 2022 playoffs.
“We just never wanted to see that happen again,” Minyard said. “We took that upon ourselves to just keep going, keep going and keep going.”
Los Gatos definitely kept it going following a 14-6 win over El Cerrito High in the NorCal Division 2-A Championship Bowl Game on Dec. 2. That put them at No. 33 in the state rankings.
Jaylen Thomas and most of the seniors have been playing together since sixth grade. They were also part of the group who had their freshman year cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Knowing that this is gonna be the last time we’re putting the pads on together, it’s just hurtful,” he said. “We were really a family this year. … I feel like I could walk up to anybody and just talk to him, like he’s a brother to me.”
Minyard called it a special season, especially after growing up in the area and always wanting to play football for the Wildcats. He said they grew up together and he strongly believes Los Gatos has the biggest brotherhood in the entire state of California.
“I’m excited that I got to live it out,” he said.
Minyard is a Santa Cruz native but said he considers himself more of a Los Gatos guy who was once the ball boy for the Wildcats about nine years ago.
“I’ve been part of this program, Los Gatos roots. This is my town,” Minyard said.
Central Valley Christian was No. 66 in the state behind a spectacular season from Fresno State commit Bryson Donelson.
The standout senior running back racked up 3,095 yards rushing and 44 touchdowns on 270 carries, and hauled in 31 receptions for 563 yards receiving and nine scores going into last week’s state title game.
The Wildcats’ defense did a decent job of containing Donelson, yet he still managed to score three times including a 70-yard touchdown run that gave them a 17-point cushion in the third quarter.
Prior to that, the Cavaliers took an early 3-0 lead in what was a defensive see-saw battle in the opening stanza.
Los Gatos had a golden chance to respond, but a promising drive stalled after the offense was stopped short on a 4th-and-1 conversion attempt. The defense came through with a big play of its own when Scott Garwood recorded an interception for Los Gatos.
Yet, it didn’t take long for the Wildcats to turn the ball right over. Minyard was hit from behind on a pass attempt, and the ball sailed directly into the hands of lineman Grant Shannon for the interception.
Donelson capitalized on the turnover with a 12-yard TD run for a 10-0 lead. The first half woes continued for Los Gatos when running back Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung fumbled the ball in the second quarter.
CVC scored on the very next play, and then Kroeze connected with Ryan Lewis for a 38-yard TD that gave the Cavaliers a 24-7 lead going into halftime.
“A little bit of shoulda, woulda, coulda in that first half,” Krail said. “We gave up the one right at the end of the half, which kind of took a little wind out of our sails.”
The Wildcats were in desperate need of a spark coming out of the break. They started to cook with fire following a 63-yard TD reception from Minyard to Thomas, cutting the deficit to 24-14.
“We came out in the second half fired up, our coach gave us that halftime speech,” Thomas said. “Our offense was just working. We just started putting plays together, just started connecting. … We didn’t slow down No. 6 [Donelson] as much as we wanted to, but at the end of the day we made the comeback. We just couldn’t finish.”
Kopcsak-Yeung kept Los Gatos within reach after a 42-yard TD run, and Minyard scrambled his way 12 yards into the end zone that made it 38-28 with 10:17 remaining in the game.
After not being able to get off the field most of the game, Los Gatos’ defense finally made the huge stop it needed and was in prime position to keep chipping away at CVC’s lead.
Instead, Thomas mishandled the punt and lost the ball in Wildcats territory. Donelson scored his third TD of the evening that put Central Valley Christian ahead, 45-28.
The Wildcats wouldn’t give up that easy, though. Minyard orchestrated a pair of scoring drives that gave Los Gatos a fighting chance in the end.
Max Thomas hauled in a 24-yard TD, and then Minyard connected with Owen Panu for a 19-yard score that made it 45-42 with less than one minute remaining in the game.
“I think it’s just our tenacity,” Minyard said. “We pride ourselves on being fast and physical. And we’re never gonna put that aside. We’re always gonna be full force no matter what the score is, what the time is, and we’re just gonna keep going.”
The miraculous come-from-behind attempt was all but over when an onside kick attempt from Sam Pearman was recovered by CVC. All the Los Gatos players and coaches could do was watch from across the field as the Cavaliers celebrated their first state title in the program’s history.
Despite the loss, there was no reason for them to hang their heads.
“This experience has just been unique,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t have asked to go to a different high school with different coaches with different guys. I wouldn’t want to, not in a million years.”
Weeklys sports editor Juan Reyes can be reached at jr****@we*****.com
