On Friday, Sept. 6th, varsity football faced off against the Rancho Cotate Cougars in a rematch after the Giants won 35-34 last year. Previously, the Cougars dominated most of the game, but Redwood came back from being down 14 in just six minutes and won on a hail mary.
On Friday, the energy was booming at the Rent Football Stadium in Rohnert Park, with the Rancho Cotate band roaring and a crowd of over 1,000. The matchup was expected to be another tight one as both teams held a 1-0 record to start the season. However, the high-scoring affair from last season was far from what occurred Friday night.
Instead, the Cougars dominated offense and managed to contain the Giants’ pushes toward the end zone. After a failed opening drive that forced the Giants to punt, the Cougars quickly pulled ahead with a 14-yard passing touchdown to put them up 7-0. However, Redwood fired back instantly when, on 3rd and 7, senior quarterback Kody Vasquez fired a deep pass into the hands of senior running back Sean Cunneen. Cunneen then sprinted past the rest of the defense for a 66-yard touchdown, but a mishap on the snap prevented the Giants from converting the extra point.
Unfortunately for the Giants, that would be the only time they would put points on the scoreboard en route to a 24-6 defeat. After trading a pair of stops, the Cougars struck again by intercepting a ball deep into Redwood territory for a pick-six, extending their lead to 14-6. With 2 minutes left in the second quarter, hopes remained high for the Giants’ offense.
Then suddenly, the lights turned off, leading to a 15-minute delay that seemed to puncture the Giants’ chance at a comeback.
The team huddled as words of motivation from coach J.J Davis attempted to keep spirits high. Players took to the field to stretch and prepare to play, but the deficit and technical difficulties broke the momentum. When the lights flickered back on, Rancho Cotate capitalized on another interception by scoring their third touchdown of the half, giving the Cougars a 21-6 lead. With excellent clock management by the Cougars and a flurry of disappointing drives from the Giants, the final was 24-6.
However, the score didn’t display some spotlight players for the Giants, including Cunneen, who rushed for 70 yards, caught three passes and scored a touchdown. Another standout was senior Erik Johnson, who led the defense for the Giants with nine tackles, and senior Miles Harrison followed closely behind with seven. The Giants look forward to their next game versus Maria Carrillo at home next Saturday at two p.m.
