Everything about this matchup encapsulated the prestige of high school sports. The crowd, the energy and two unbeaten programs facing off in one of the biggest games of the regular season.
Campolindo came ready to play against its crosstown foe from Lafayette. The Cougars, in front of a record-breaking home crowd, survived a comeback by Acalanes with a late interception to emerge victorious, 27-24, and remain undefeated.
Senior quarterback Dashiell Weaver shined with 25-of-32 mark for 267 yards and three touchdown passes while also accumulating over 50 rushing yards. Senior receiver Robbie Mascheroni caught six passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns. James Giordani had two interceptions on the night, including the game-sealing interception with just seconds remaining.
“I told my coach there’s nothing better than this,” Giordani said. “Perfect weather, the best fans in the area. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Coming off a convincing win to open up league play, Campolindo continued its dominant season with a 10-play, 60-yard drive, capped off with a 13-yard touchdown pass on a screen to Mascheroni.
Down 7-0, Acalanes quickly found its groove with junior quarterback Sully Bailey finding multiple receivers on the Dons opening drive. After senior Andrew Habas hauled in an amazing pass at the one-yard line, Bailey snuck into the end zone to knot the game, 7-7.
About midway through the second quarter, Mascheroni, who played safety in this matchup, got a huge interception and set the Cougars up with good field position.
After leading his team down the field, Weaver connected with Mascheroni in the back of the endzone to give Campolindo a 14-7 lead with less than a minute left.
“I really just ran that slant, cut it back and just focused on the ball,” Mascheroni said.
With time winding down, Acalanes quickly made its way down to the Campolindo 29 behind four catches from Rogers on the drive. From 46 yards out, senior kicker Zach Murdin powered the ball just over the crossbar, cutting the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Acalanes managed to make a tremendous play to put itself in front. On the third play of its third drive of the half, Boselli launched a rocket to senior Ethan Torres on a fly route for a 64-yard touchdown to put the Dons up, 17-14.
On the very next drive, however, Campolindo chipped time off the clock as Weaver hit several targets on the drive. Overall, Weaver connected with seven different receivers throughout the game. On a third down and goal, Weaver found Tim Daugherty in the endzone as Campolindo regained the lead, 20-17.
In the fourth quarter, Campolindo’s defense came up with another huge play as senior Robbie Horst forced a fumble at the Campolindo 25 yard line. On the next play, Weaver aired it out to Sean Spillane for a 51-yard gain. Campolindo made it down to the red zone and scored on a rushing touchdown by Isiah Ortiz.
Down by 10 with just eight minutes left, Acalanes got to work with Boselli hitting several targets on the next drive, including a few big plays to Habas again. At the five-yard line, Boselli found Torres for the score as Acalanes trailed by three with just three minutes left.
After getting a massive stop, Acalanes retained possession with a chance to tie or potentially win the game.
After getting the first down thanks to an 11-yard catch by Rogers, Acalanes ran a couple of times to bring the ball to midfield with just thirty seconds left.
On the ensuing play, Giordani went up and made a great interception to seal the deal as Campolindo remained unbeaten, 27-24. The Campolindo student section erupted into chaos after another phenomenal win in the final seconds.
“At the end of the day, football is fun,” Weaver said. “Going out there and playing with your friends is fun, so we just had fun tonight.”
Campolindo displayed one of the grittiest performances of the season as multiple players contributed in all facets of the game to win the game.
“It’s this whole team that has grit,” Weaver said. :We need to trust coach Macy and trust the process. Coach (Kevin) Macy is one of the grittiest coaches you will ever have in your life.”
Acalanes put on a valiant effort that just came up short. Torres caught four passes for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns while also accumulating three PBU. Habas tallied five catches for 79 yards and Sully Bailey accumulated 122 overall yards and a rushing TD.
According to Mascheroni, taking each game week by week will lead Campolindo to capture its fourth consecutive DFAL title.
“We are thinking about every week and each week we are 0-0,” Mascheroni said. “We just need to keep our heads straight and focus on the next opponent.”
