The Los Gatos High football team opened the 2022 season in the same way it ended the 2021 season—with a loss.
Same venue, same electric atmosphere, same result, different opponent. Instead of Bellarmine in last year’s Central Coast Section Division I playoff game, Southern California power Corona del Mar of Newport Beach came into Los Gatos and beat the Wildcats 28-14 on Aug. 26.
Wildcats coach Mark Krail scheduled Corona del Mar—which entered the contest ranked No. 29 in the state by MaxPreps—because playing a top-tier program will give them an instant look into what they’ll need to improve upon going forward.
Besides, Krail reasoned, teams learn more from a loss than they do if they blow out an inferior opponent.
“We could play 100 other schools (to open the season) and win by five touchdowns and really not learn anything,” Krail said. “But playing these guys and coming out healthy and going back and seeing what we need to work on—which is quite a lot—it’s going to make us better. These guys, it’s a special group and adversity, when you have a special group, makes you come together. And this group will (come together). They’re not going to fall apart—there’s no chance.”
The Sea Kings (2-0) led the entire way, finishing with 406 yards of total offense to the Wildcats’ 122. It’s a wonder the score wasn’t more lopsided than it was, but that speaks to Los Gatos’ determination to keep on going even when things weren’t going its way.
The Wildcats finished with negative-11 yards rushing and a meager 122 total yards, a result of dropped passes, leaky pass protection and botched snaps near the end of the game.
“We just couldn’t get any rhythm on the offensive side,” Krail said. “We didn’t protect well, we didn’t run-block well, the QB (Jake Boyd) was kind of running for his life and made some plays on the run so we just got to figure out what we’re doing.”
Under heavy duress throughout, Boyd still managed to complete 10-of-19 passes for 133 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Emiliano Mejia had two of the biggest offensive plays of the night, a 19-yard reception and another catch and run, tackle-busting 48-yard reception.
Despite the loss, Krail praised the defense for bending but not breaking against a potent Corona del Mar offense. Landon Heard returned an interception 38 yards for a TD that brought the Wildcats to within 21-14 with 10 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but that’s as close as they would get. Fellow safety Jaylen Thomas added an interception with 5 ½ minutes remaining, and Kevin Rogers recovered a fumble and returned it 20 yards to the Sea Kings 4-yard line.
That set up the Wildcats’ first TD, a Boyd to Thomas 9-yard hookup in the left seam with 8:45 left until halftime. Los Gatos should be strong defensively with players like Thomas, Heard, Rogers, Donovan Freed, Ryan Vernale, Nicolas Ramos and Luchi Casale, just to name a handful.
“I thought our defense played great, actually,” Krail said. “Very physical, played fast, (but) offensively, we were just not good. … Credit to them. They’re a great program and we knew that when we put them on the schedule that it was going to be a great test. And for me it’s why not? This doesn’t seal any fate; this doesn’t determine our destiny or anything like that.”
Indeed, if the Wildcats end up winning another De Anza Division championship and advance to the Division I playoffs—which they very well could—they’ll probably look back to this game as one that helped them hone in on their deficiencies and improve upon them.
“Early games like this, you live, you learn, you go back to work and you get better,” Krail said. “And we’re going to be a better team in November because of tonight.”
The Wildcats next play Liberty High of Brentwood at home on Sept. 2.
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
