BERKELEY — The host Panthers celebrated one of their best seniors classes Saturday, posting a 48-9 victory over the visiting Vikings in the Panthers’ final regular-season home game of the season. Thanks to two touchdowns apiece from running backs Tamarack Pierce and Stevie Harvey and two passing touchdowns from Ryan Jenkins, St. Mary’s (7-0, 3-0) prevailed on senior day.
Yet the game could not have started out any better for Valley Christian. The Vikings opened the game with a 16-play, 63-yard drive, capped off by a 5 yard touchdown throw from quarterback Matthew Suski to Griffin Smith. Although the extra point was botched, the Vikings still held a 6-0 lead. They then shocked everyone, especially the Panthers return team, by going for the surprise onside kick and recovering it. They then got in scoring position thanks to a short pass from Suski that receiver Jairus Woodson turned into a 30-yard gain down the sideline. The Panthers defense stiffened, and after the drive stalled, kicker Kyle Hanks booted a 37-yard field goal to put Valley Christian up 9-0.
The Vikings then recovered yet another onside kick and looked poised to expand upon their lead but Ben Schrider and the Saint Mary’s defense had other plans. The vaunted Panthers defensive line finally began getting the penetration they have been accustomed to creating all season, stopping two runs for short gains and then sacking Suski on third down.
After finally gaining control of the ball minutes into the second quarter, St. Mary’s wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. The Panthers offensive attack proved unstoppable, moving the ball at will both through the air and on the ground on the way to 21 unanswered points to end the half. The last of these three drives, a two-play, 62-yard assault through the air, took less than a minute off the clock.
St. Mary’s began the second half just as it ended the first, opening the third quarter with a six-play, 64-yard drive that made the score 28-9. Valley Christian would then take over near its own goal line and just as it looked as if the Vikings were gaining a little offensive momentum, Panthers defensive lineman Alex Glover forced a fumble and ran with it 36 yards for the score.
Woodson, who finished with 87 of the team’s 156 total yards, took the ensuing kickoff deep into Saint Mary’s territory and then got helped along even further by a face mask penalty. But on the very next play Valley Christian had yet another fumble, leading to the Panthers’ final score of the day.
TCAL-Rock St. Mary’s 48, Valley Christian 9
St. Mary’s 0 21 27 0– 48
Valley Christian 9 0 0 0– 9
VC — Smith 5 yard pass from Suski (Jackson pass failed)
VC — 37 yard field goal by Hanks
SM — Harvey 14 yard run (Richards kick)
SM — Pierce 2 yard run (Richards kick)
SM — Mahone-Chambers 34 yard pass from Jenkins (Richards kick)
SM — Phillips 12 yard pass from Jenkins (Richards kick)
SM — Glover 36 yard fumble recovery (Richards kick)
SM — Harvey 12 yard run (Richards kick)
SM — Pierce 23 yard run (James pass failed)
Rushing: SM — Pierce 11-109, Harvey 10-91, Jenkins 5-12, White 4-25. Totals-30-237.VC — Navarro 11-36, Suski 7-(-6), Smith 5-10, Stilwell 2-13, Hanks 1-(-7). Totals- 26-46. Passing: SM — Jenkins 10-13-0-168.VC — Suski 10-18-1-98, Jackson 1-3-1-12. Receiving: SM — Phillip 5-69, Schrider 2-10, Pierce 1-36, Mahone-Chambers 1-34, Kettles 1-19. Totals: 10-168.VC — Woodson 8-87, Lubrano 1-12, Stilwell 1-6, Smith 1-5. Totals- 11-110. Fumbles/lost: SM — 5/1. VC — 3/3. Records: Saint Mary’s 8-0. Valley Christian 4-3.
