The first 10 minutes of the boys’ Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) championship against Archie Williams brought Redwood fans out of their seats three separate times. Senior Marcos Ornellas, who was hospitalized in a surfing accident in the summer of 2023 and was unable to play his junior or senior season, is still an integral member of the team. As a tribute, he took the opening kickoff at striker for the Giants before taking a knee and walking off the pitch to a standing ovation.
Just three minutes later, Ornellas’s best friend, senior captain Masa Fujita, brought the crowd to their feet again. Junior Kamran Madani sent a cross from the left wing into the penalty box, finding Fujita, who high-pointed and redirected the ball into the back of the net. Armed with a 1-0 lead, Redwood continued to play on the offensive. At the 10-minute mark, senior Ike “Hugo” Gebhard weaved past a defender in the middle of the field, then struck a pass down the left wing to senior Ben Sherry. Sherry beautifully struck the ball into the bottom right corner of the net with his left foot before vaulting into a front-handspring backflip that sent the Giants crowd wild.
Yet, Redwood’s smiles would dim for the next 70 minutes as the Giants failed to spark any significant offensive chances. Archie Williams took advantage, building up a litany of attacks and scoring their first goal in the 50th minute. In the 64th minute, the Falcons manufactured another opportunity, finding an open attacker on the right wing, just outside of the box. Luckily, senior John Anderluh came flying in with a slide tackle, deflecting the ball out of bounds and saving the Giant lead. But the Falcons’ offense was too potent, and they finally broke through again in the 75th minute, tying the title game and silencing Redwood’s crowd.
With the clock passing 80 minutes and the referee signaling three minutes of stoppage time, the championship seemed destined for overtime — until Gebhard lined up for a free kick from more than 40 yards out. He laced a beautiful ball into the box, where Fujita once again high-pointed the ball, this time deflecting it to junior Jamie Hughes. From five yards out, Hughes headered the ball into the ground, bouncing once before finding the unprotected left side of the goal. The Giants’ bench bolted onto the field in celebration, mobbing Hughes, Gebhard and anyone else in arms reach.
After holding off Archie Williams for two additional minutes, the title belonged to Redwood, bursting into smiles one last time for the evening. The Giants’ 3-2 victory marks their second consecutive MCAL championship, and the team now heads to the North Coast Section playoffs. They will take on Acalanes at home on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
