If you wanted an indication of how Friday night’s NCS Division IV final between Acalanes and San Marin was going to go, you didn’t have to wait very long. Acalanes senior receiver Paul Kuhner backed up to the goal line and fielded the opening kickoff. He sprinted right and picked up a pair of gorgeous blocks before darting towards a seam on the left side. One move later, Kuhner was gone, sprinting 99 yards to the house on the opening kickoff.
San Marin never truly recovered from the vicious opening right hook, as Acalanes put on a defensive clinic and dominated the second half to win the section championship with a 24-7 victory over previously undefeated San Marin. The Dons avenged a week one loss to SM, and did so in convincing fashion.
“I’m so happy for these guys. So proud,” Acalanes head coach Floyd Burnsed said with the championship banner draped over his left arm. “I thought our kids played incredibly. Our tough schedule really helped us out. We showed it tonight.”
Acalanes began the season 0-3, but all three losses came against top 10 teams in the Bay Area. A loss to Campolindo in the regular season finale accounted for an unprecedented fourth loss. San Marin was 12-0, Acalanes was 8-4. Everything pointed to another Mustang win after they beat Acalanes 27-20 in week one. But the Dons were far and away the better team on Friday. San Marin was outplayed, outcoached, and thoroughly out-lucked.
“Our special teams coach saw it on film, we had a play set up and knew the lane was going to be there,” Kuhner explained his opening kickoff touchdown. “I saw the cut back and got to the outside. It really gave our team confidence and myself confidence. It set the tone.”
Kuhner set the tone, but the Dons’ defense won them the game. San Marin and quarterback Dominic Ingrassia had one of the most explosive offenses in the Bay Area this season, with an elite passing attack that consistently brought even the best defenses to its knees. That air raid was almost nonexistent on Friday. A complimentary ambush of elite coverage and relentless pass rush left the Mustangs in a troublesome one dimensional hole. SM punted seven times and only scored once.
“It started on Monday. We came in on Thanksgiving week and we worked four or five hours every day,” senior cornerback Gavin Bender said. “Before practice, after practice, working on our coverages. It showed on the field today, they had nothing open and the D line got after the quarterback.”
Ingrassia, named the Marin County Athletic League’s player of the year earlier this week, was running for his life throughout the ballgame but especially in the second half. Acalanes’ elite play in the secondary actually allowed him to gash them with his legs at times, but never in a lethal fashion. “They did a great job, our players and our defensive staff,” Burnsed said proudly. “Our goal was to take away the pass and make them run.”
When the San Marin defense did get its chance to make a mark on this ballgame, it didn’t squander it. The Mustangs forced an emphatic three and out on Acalanes’ first possession following the opening return. Wesley Garton made his first of numerous backfield reservations, sacking Sully Bailey on third down to force a punt and swing the momentum back to the home sideline.
That punt would lead to more misfortune for San Marin, however, as it was muffed near midfield and recovered by Acalanes in a mad scrum. Forced right back onto the field, San Marin defense flexed again and held for another punt after a single first down. Acalanes’ ability to recover loose balls was a first half theme. It seemed every bounce went blue, as all four fumbles that touched the turf in the first half were gobbled up by the Dons.
The grinding defensive stalemate continued well into the second quarter. Neither defense allowed a point until a lengthy San Marin drive late in the half. The Mustangs forced a turnover on downs deep in their own territory to set the offense up at its own 20. Ingrassia and the Stangs marched 77 yards on eight plays to tie the game with four minutes remaining in the half. On third and goal from the Acalanes six, Ingrassia rolled right and kept it himself, cutting up field at the line of scrimmage and absorbing a hit before diving across the goal line.
Acalanes wasn’t ready to head to the locker room tied up. The Dons used every bit of the 4:12 remaining in the half, driving 70 yards with a heavy dose of Bailey to Kuhner and Rogers. With the clock running, the Dons executed a fire drill field goal to take a 10-7 lead to the locker room with zeros on the clock.
To say Acalanes has been battle tested would be an understatement. The Dons have been through the ringer this year, and as Burnsed pointed out, they’re better for it. All season long, a rematch between these two teams was inevitable destiny, and on this evening Acalanes had a plan that was vastly superior to that of San Marin.
“This feels incredible. It was always the goal, this is a really big one for us,” Kuhner said with a grin. “This is just one step along the highway. Long way to go, we still have two more games.”
