Still in the early stages of the new Redwood Empire league, a rivalry seems to be brewing between the Giants (5-5) and the American Canyon Wolves (9-1). Saturday’s matchup showed as much, with a strong fan turnout and even higher sideline energy.
At one point, it looked like the game might come down to the final seconds, when Wolves sophomore quarterback Kameron Hunter fumbled a designed run play inside his own 25-yard line, right after a Giants touchdown had cut the Wolves’ lead to two. But officials ruled Hunter down by contact — a call that proved costly as Redwood’s comeback hopes slipped away.
Big plays and missed opportunities defined the game, and they showed up early. The Giants’ defense opened by forcing a three-and-out, then blocking a punt to take over inside the Wolves’ 20-yard line. However, Redwood couldn’t turn that into any points as they quickly went three-and-out and their short field-goal attempt was blocked.
It couldn’t have started any better for the Giants’ defense. On the ensuing drive, they blocked another punt and returned it to the 15-yard line. This time, the Redwood offense cashed in, as senior Ben Vaughn caught a short pass before running the next play in for a 4-yard touchdown. The Wolves started their next drive strong with a 22-yard burst from junior Isaac Anderson, but an offensive holding call stalled their drive and the Giants’ defense made a crucial stand on fourth-and-short. American Canyon’s next possession was the same story: explosive first-down runs to jumpstart the drive, but another penalty slowed them down, and the Giants made a second fourth-down stop, this time on their own 21-yard line. However, Redwood’s momentum vanished on the next play as junior quarterback Cash Ward threw an interception that set up a 5-yard Wolves touchdown and a successful two-point conversion, giving American Canyon an 8-7 lead.
The offensive struggles continued for Redwood on their next drive, miscommunicating on a fourth-and-one run play and giving the ball up near midfield. American Canyon showcased a dominant rushing attack that would carry into the second half. Anderson capped off the drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Wolves a 15-7 lead with two minutes before halftime. Redwood got a spark with a 23-yard run from senior Riley Ulin to start the possession, but Ward’s next pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown — only for the score to be negated by a block in the back, keeping the Giants within striking distance at half.
American Canyon had another near knock-out blow in the mid third quarter, as Hunter completed a 64-yard bomb to senior receiver Cole Gholar, but it was called back for offensive pass interference. Both teams traded punts and sacks to finish a scoreless third quarter, with American Canyon still holding their 15-7 lead.
Finally, the Giants’ offense broke through early in the fourth. On a fake screen play, Ward sold the short pass before launching a deep ball down the sideline to senior receiver Rudy Vasquez for a 50-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 15-13. The Giants went for two to tie it, but Ward’s throw was intercepted in the endzone.
That sequence set up what could have been a dramatic finish. The Wolves survived a string of close calls, including the quarterback fumble that called back, a near interception from senior cornerback Dylan McGrath and a fourth-down pass interference that kept the drive alive. Once inside the red zone, American Canyon leaned on their powerful run game, putting together short gains until Anderson powered across the goal line for a 1-yard score with less than four minutes left. After converting the extra-point to make it a two-score game at 22-13, the Wolves effectively sealed the win, leaving the Giants heartbroken on senior day.
