Following close wins over Antioch and Ukiah, varsity football reached the North Coast Section (NCS) championship game for the first time in program history. A date was set with the American Canyon Wolves, whom the Giants had beaten earlier in the season 21-6 on Nov. 8. In the previous matchup, senior starting quarterback Kody Vasquez was out with a wrist injury, which he suffered in the Oct. 10 loss to Tamalpais. However, he returned to the field in mid-November with a brace on his left hand, leading the Giants to victory in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the NCS playoffs.
All night long, the Wolves were set on running the football, utilizing both their quarterback Mason Harris and running back Andrew Lopez in the ground game. After three-and-outs by both to start the game, American Canyon went the length of the field without attempting a pass before punching in a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
Vasquez settled in quickly for Redwood, finding senior Sean Cunneen for an 18-yard reception, bringing the Giants past midfield on their second drive of the game. But, after two short runs and an incomplete pass, junior William Suko punted for Redwood, pinning the Wolves deep in their own territory.
On just the first play of the next drive, Harris dropped a high snap, falling to the ground before Redwood senior Wes Schulz fell on the football. Cunneen immediately evened the score, breaking a handoff outside to the right before stumbling in for a nine-yard touchdown.
Sure that American Canyon was running the football, the Giants stacked the box. On all three plays of the ensuing drive, Redwood was gang-tackling the American Canyon runners in the Wolves’ backfield. With the ball back, Vasquez continued to lead the Giants’ offense, finding both senior Ashlin Quach and junior Ben Vaughn for completions of over 20 yards. He capped off the drive by finding junior Dylan Mcgrath on a slant route, giving the Giants a 14-7 lead.
With the Wolves’ continual running, Redwood’s interior defense began to tire, and running lanes began to open up. After three first downs on the ground, American Canyon ran in a 35-yard touchdown before it was called back by a holding penalty. Set back 10 yards, the Wolves faced a fourth-and-nine, where senior Ronan Ralston tripped Harris, giving the Giants the ball back with just three minutes in the half.
This time, Cunneen led Redwood down the field, rushing for 17 yards and hauling in a 34-yard reception. Vasquez then found Mcgrath wide open over the middle of the field, scoring his second touchdown of the night from 20 yards out.
With the half nearly over, Suko sent the kickoff deep into the American Canyon endzone, where the returner initially muffed the catch, dropping the ball on the ground. After picking it up, he ran the entire field length, scoring a 100-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 21-14 going into halftime.
Worn out by the heavy packages and consistent running, the Giants’ defense could not stop the Wolves in the second half. After a Redwood three-and-out, American Canyon built a 15-play consisting of runs, scoring another touchdown. The point-after-attempt was missed, giving the Giants a 21-20 lead, but the Wolves were threatening.
Their second-half dominance would continue, as a miscommunication led a Vasquez pass right into the hands of an American Canyon defender. Nothing changed for the Wolves in the following drive; they ran the ball 14 times before scoring and converting the two-point conversion.
With just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, it seemed as though this drive was Redwood’s last chance to win. Vasquez carried the Giants down the field, finding Ralston for 20 yards, Vaughn for 13 yards and handing it off to Cunneen for multiple first downs. On first down at the 11-yard line, Vasquez faced heavy pressure and tried to throw the ball out of bounds. However, his pass fell short and he was called for an intentional grounding, pushing Redwood back to their own 33-yard line. Needing more than 30 yards to convert a first down, the distance was too far, and the Giants turned the ball over on downs.
Despite being certain American Canyon was running the football, the Giants could not stop the run, and the Wolves once again marched down the field, draining the clock before taking a 35-21 lead. With the game out of reach, Vasquez found Quach for a garbage-time touchdown, bringing the final score to 35-28.
Nonetheless, Redwood made it further than any team in program history, a testament to the deep talent and strong leadership of the team. They finished with a record of 8-5.
