The Los Gatos High football team won its 16th Central Coast Section playoff football championship on Nov. 24, but few—if any—has ever turned out like this.
In a contest expected to be dead-even, the Wildcats came out on fire and demolished Wilcox 49-14 to win the Division I title and move on to the CIF NorCal Regional playoffs, where they will host a 2-A Bowl Championship Game against El Cerrito High on Dec. 2 at 6pm. The winner advances to the State Championship contest.
Los Gatos is certainly on a roll, the latest evidence coming vs. Wilcox. On a cold night at San Jose City College, Jaylen Thomas did it all, scoring four touchdowns, one on a 1-yard run, two on touchdown passes from AJ Minyard and another on an electric 82-yard kickoff return.
Tailback Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung carried 14 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns. Minyard completed 8-of-9 passes for 142 yards. Wilcox was led by Tyson Bonilla with 125 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries and Jamontay Amataga with 72 yards and a score on 13 rushes.
During the decisive 42-7 first half, the offense scored every time it touched the ball and the defense forced two turnovers on fumbles, held the Chargers on downs in the red zone and produced a 23-yard loss on a fourth down mis-handled high punt snap.
“It was just a shock,” Thomas said. “It was 7-0, then 14-0, then 21-0. We came out so hot, it was crazy.”
Everything clicked for Los Gatos. Not so for Wilcox.
“Everything went wrong,” Chargers coach Paul Rosa said. “Those things happen but you hate it when it happens in a game like this. And we couldn’t stop them. They are so balanced. And very clean on how they run their plays.”
The title was the first for Los Gatos since a 2019 Division II victory over Oak Grove. Rival Wilcox appeared formidable. The Chargers smashed St. Francis 52-28 in an Open Division semifinal two weeks ago. In the regular season, Los Gatos edged the Chargers by only 24-21 via a Kopcsak-Yeung touchdown run in the final minute, a regular-season victory that gave the Wildcats the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division championship.
But this matchup was a blowout.
“I can’t explain how much this means to us,” Minyard said. “Coach Krail is a mastermind. He called the whole game. I love the offensive line. They’re dogs. They protected me. I just put the ball up there for Jaylen (Thomas). He’s a pretty amazing guy.”
The Wildcats opened the contest with a 9-play, 74-yard touchdown drive, capped by Thomas’ scoring run. A fumbled snap put Wilcox in a hole and it got deeper with the bad punt snap. Armando Rodriguez was swarmed by a group of ’Cats, with Nate Goldsbury making the tackle back on the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Minyard found Thomas for a short TD pass.
The avalanche continued. The hard-hitting Wildcats’ defense produced a fumble and it was covered by Aaron Brin. Kopscak-Yeung converted with a tackle-breaking 16-yard run to paydirt. The Wilcox attack hit its stride with a Bonilla 65-yard touchdown burst to close within 21-7. But Thomas quickly turned the momentum back by returning the subsequent kickoff all the way to the end zone.
“I faked a handoff (to Kopcsak-Yeung) and then I saw a hole,” Thomas said. “I had one guy to beat and I knew I could outrun him. We practice that every single day. But it was the first time we did it in a game. And we housed it.”
The fake gave Thomas a small opening as the defenders briefly focused on Kopcsak-Yeung. That was all the speedy senior needed. With 1:09 remaining in the first quarter, it was 28-7.
Wilcox replied with its trademark running game and drove down to the Los Gatos 4-yard line. But on fourth down, Lyndon Bailey tracked Bonilla and pulled him down for a 5-yard loss. Minyard and Taylor connected on the next play for a 42-yard gain. Minyard later found Nicholas Hobson for a 27-yard completion and Kopcsak-Yeung cashed in the drive from 13 yards for a 35-7 lead.
“The offensive line works their ass off for us,” Kopcsak-Yeung said. “(Matthew) Ludeman is always blocking someone. Leo (Cocchiglia) and Lyndon (Bailey) and George (Charles) and Owen (Panu), our tight end, and Henry (Anslinger) and more.”
Wilcox responded with another long ground-based drive but disaster struck the Chargers again. Los Gatos forced a fumble on the Wildcats’ 4-yard line and Scott Garwood returned the ball all the way to the Wilcox 19. Minyard passed to Taylor on the next play for another tally and a 42-7 margin.
“In the first half, everything was clicking,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail said. “Our guys made plays. On defense, we’re very familiar with Wilcox and we watch a ton of film. You have to be assignment-perfect to stop them.”The second half featured another highlight-reel play by Thomas as he intercepted a deep Wilcox pass and returned it 43 yards. Kopcsak-Yeung scored from six yards. Later, many subs found playing time.
“It’s special to win,” Minyard said. “I’m at a loss for words. We’re the second Los Gatos team to make it to NorCals. I’m looking forward to it.”
