SCOTTS VALLEY -- Star running backs Fabiano Hale and Ari Wargon seemingly matched each other carry for carry as two Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League heavyweights -- Soquel and host Scotts Valley -- squared off in an epic, high school football battle Saturday afternoon.
While both teams ran with great success, league favorite Soquel went to the air to claim a 33-26 victory over the Falcons in the seesaw affair.
Knights quarterback Lucas Cordoza connected with receiver Trestan Peacock from 3 yards out with 8.4 seconds left to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive.
The sixth lead change of the game held up.
It was Peacock's lone catch of the game and just his fifth this season.
Coincidently, Peacock may be one of the league's top receivers, but he's an unsung hero of sorts in the Knights' run-heavy, double-wing offensive attack.
"Our offense is good -- all around," Peacock said of his lack of touches. "I know I can count on my teammates. When we need to do what we need to do, we do it."
Two-minute drill with the game on the line? Done.
After Scotts Valley's Jack Lavery kicked his second field goal of the game -- he gave the Falcons a 3-0 start on a 42-yarder into the wind in the first quarter -- the Falcons forged a 26-all tie with 2:40 left in the game.
But Peacock's second receiving touchdown this season sealed the win.
"He's a great athlete," Cordoza said of Peacock, who is 6-foot, 180 pounds.
"We practiced that play all week. We came out, tried it late and it worked. This gives us momentum throughout the season. We know we can run a 2-minute drive. I just want to give a shout out to all the linemen. They worked their [butts] off."Proof of the linemen's efforts was in Hale's rushing total. The senior had 31 carries for 223 yards and three scores -- boosting his career touchdown total to 45.
A three-year starter, Hale -- Soquel's all-time leading rusher with 2,257 yards -- remains on pace to snap the school's season rushing mark of 1,189 that he set last season. He has 858 yards with, at least, four games left.
He also has 17 rushing TDs this year -- two off the school mark he set last year -- and 19 TDs overall, six shy of matching NFL player Dwight Lowery's school-record total of 25 in 2003.
The Knights finished with 271 yards rushing and 103 passing. Running back Tucker Wiget also ran for a touchdown.
With the win, Soquel improves to 5-1, 2-0 in league. Its lone loss came to unbeaten Seaside, 32-19, on Sept. 14.
The road doesn't get any easier from here. While the Knights knocked off the coached-up Falcons -- the teams shared SCCAL titles in 2007 and '09 -- two weeks from now is monster game in Aptos, where Soquel takes on the defending league-champion Mariners (4-2, 2-0).
The Knights have a bye next week.
Scotts Valley falls to 1-4, 0-1 entering next week's game against Aptos.
With a deceptive record, the Falcons may have had the toughest nonleague slate of any county team. After opening with a win over Evergreen Valley, the Falcons suffered losses to Central of San Angelo, Texas, as well as Le Grand and Bear River -- who have a combined 15-3 record.
But the Falcons didn't back down from this challenge, they embraced it.
"We knew Soquel was a great team," Wargon said. "Our coaches told us to play every last second and that's what it came down to. I'm so proud of our guys. We made a couple of mistakes, but we played our heart out. We took some major steps forward today."
Wargon took more than his share of steps forward -- to the tune of 249 yards on 29 carries. Fullback Jake Rehnberg ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Rehnberg also hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Garrett Johnston on the final play of the first quarter to give the Falcons a 10-0 lead.
While Scotts Valley stuck with its run-heavy attack, it did attempt some trickery that backfired. Rehnberg attempted a full-back option pass that Caleb Fidiam intercepted at the Knights' 1-yard line.
Scotts Valley also lost one of its two fumbles.
Soquel didn't have a turnover despite fumbling four times.
The Falcons didn't hang their head after the loss.
"With this league, anything can happen," Wargon said. "We're going to still fight for a playoff bid."
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Soquel 33, Scotts Valley 26
Soquel 0-14-6-13 -- 33
Scotts Valley 10-0-13-3 -- 26
SV -- Jack Lavery 42 field goal, 5:30
SV -- Jake Rehnberg 14 pass from Garrett Johnston (Lavery kick), :00
SOQ -- Fabiano Hale 2 run (Tanner Mihelic kick), 8:03
SOQ -- Hale 1 run (Mihelic kick), 3:54
SV -- Rehnberg 2 run (run failed), 10:16
SOQ -- Hale 62 run (kick failed), 8:56
SV -- Rehnberg 3 run (Lavery kick), 5:48
SOQ -- Tucker Wiget 5 run (kick failed), 7:20
SV -- Lavery 32 field goal, 2:40
SOQ -- Trestan Peacock 3 pass from Lucas Cordoza (Mihelic kick), 8.4
TEAM STATISTICS
SOQ/SV
First downs 15/13
Rushes-Yards 47-271/48-325
Passing yards 103/28
Comp.-Att.-Int. 7-11-0/2-5-1
Fumbles-Lost 4-0/2-1
Penalties-Yards 4-30/5-30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Soquel: Fabiano Hale 31-223, Ryan Reyes 8-33, Tucker Wiget 4-27, Andrew Schmidt 1-4, Lucas Cordoza 3-(minus-16). Scotts Valley: Ari Wargon 29-249, Jake Rehnberg 15-75, Bradley Mclarnon 1-5, Jace Hardwick 1-(minus-2), Garrett Johnston 1-(minus-2).
PASSING -- Soquel: Lucas Cordoza 7-11-103-0. Scotts Valley: Garrett Johnston 2-4-28-0, Jake Rehnberg 0-1-0-1.
RECEIVING -- Soquel: Tucker Wiget 3-71, Andrew Schmidt 2-21, Fabiano Hale 1-8, Trestan Peacock 1-2. Scotts Valley: Jake Rehnberg 2-28.
DEFENSE -- Fumble Recoveries: Soquel 1 (Fabiano Hale 1); Scotts Valley, none. Sacks: Soquel, none; Scotts Valley 1 (Brett Turner). Interceptions: Soquel 1 (Caleb Fidiam); Scotts Valley, none.
RECORDS -- Soquel 5-1, 2-0; Scotts Valley 1-4, 0-1.
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