The Acalanes’ offense is scary. Scary fast, scary tough, scary good. The Acalanes Defense is scary. Scary for any offense that has to face them on a chilly pre-Hallows Eve Friday night. Even though there were early worries for the Dons, who fell behind a couple of times, ultimately the Dons were too difficult for the Matadors to cage, and Acalanes prevailed 53-28.

Festivities kicked off the night, with seniors Nathan Bennett, Kyle Bielawski, Ellis Burger, George Churchill, Coco Gannon, Andrew Habas, Marcus Julian, Lex Jung, Nathan Kim, Mason Michlitsch, Zach Murdin, Tyler Murphy, Victor Nicolacakis, Zach Robb, John Rusk, Toby Schwing, Miller Smith, Jake Takeuchi, Max Thomas, Ethan Torres, Tyler Worthington, and Justin Zegarowski, and their parents and siblings, being honored for all they’ve contributed to the Acalanes Football Program. This is a class that went through their JV season in the Spring during COVID and then had just a few weeks before starting their first season of varsity Spring practice. Many of them highlighted that undefeated JV season as one to remember, especially the win at Miramonte with only 14 players eligible.

The other two most popular memories reveal a big reason why this year’s team is so terrifying to the rest of NCS. They were, bonding with teammates at last summer’s full Tahoe Camp, and the big team victory at Sheldon of Sacramento. Those two memories are emblematic of this year’s team b/c they reflect the cohesion between the seniors and the juniors that make this year’s team so formidable. On defense, junior DTs Chase Caicedo and Brady Morrow dominate the middle while seniors Justin Zegarowski and Nathan Bennett, squeeze the ends. Senior George Churchill teams with junior Jack Giorgianni to punish opposing ball carriers. Seniors Coco Gannon, Kyle Bielawski, Ben Foox, and Ethan Torres shut down the aerial attack in partnership with juniors Gavin Bender and Everett Glass. On offense, seniors Marcus Julian, Tyler Murphy, Miller Smith, and Victor Nicolacakis mesh with juniors Trevor Carrillo and Henry Hagle, to rip open holes for slashing senior Ellis Burger and form an impenetrable wall for junior QBs Sully Bailey and Jack Boselli who strafe opposing defenses. Finally, speed kills with senior speedsters Andrew Habas, Jake Takeuchi, and Ethan Torres, scorching DBs along with junior jets Trevor Rogers, and Paul Kuhner, completing the most terrifying team in the NCS!

Acalanes started off strong receiving the initial kick and only taking four plays before QB Sully Bailey hit WR Ethan Torres and he exploded down the sideline for a 68-yard touchdown to make it Dons 7, Mats 0. After holding Miramonte on a 4th down attempt, Acalanes got the ball back on offense and it was looking like the Dons were going to run away with a victory. However, a short pass over the middle was intercepted by a leaping Mats LB and taken back all the way to the Dons’ 11-yard line. A few plays later Miramonte scored and it was all tied up at 7-7.

Undeterred by the reversal of fortunes, the Dons’ offense went back to work. After converting on fourth down and six with a 42-yard catch and run by WR Trevor Rogers, the Dons’ running game exerted its will on the Mats with RB Ellis Burger taking the rock into the end zone helped by crushing blocks from LT Marcus Julian, LG Tyler Murphy, C Miller Smith, RG Victor Nicolacakis, and RT Trevor Carrillo. The missed extra point made the score, Dons 13, Mats 7.

After stopping Miramonte in the first series, and then giving up a touchdown after an interception, the next possession for the Mats was even more strange. A long pass brought Miramonte into Acalanes territory, but when they tried the long ball again, it was intercepted by CB Ethan Torres. Ethan returned the pick 97-yards for what looked like a TD, but there was a flag thrown for a block in the back that happened immediately after the interception. The ensuing walk-off of the penalty put the Dons deep in their own territory at the 5-yard line. So instead of a score and a potential 20-7 lead, Acalanes now had their backs against the wall. Unable to convert, the Dons had to punt from deep in their own end zone, giving Miramonte a short field. The Mats were able to convert that advantage into a score, and the extra point made it Dons 13, Mats 14.

The evening continued to be haunted for the Dons as on the next possession, after failing to convert again, a wayward snap on a punt attempt went out of the back of the end zone resulting in another two points for Miramonte, making it Dons 13, Mats 16. Would that end the mysterious weirdness of the night? Unfortunately no. The ensuing kick after the safety went out of bounds, and once again the Matadors had a short field to work with on offense. Still out of sorts after the odd turn of events, the Dons’ defense was unable to hold off the Mats’ momentum, and shortly thereafter they scored but missed the extra point, making it Dons 13, Mats 22.

Would that missed extra point mean a change in the fortunes of this fright night? It didn’t look like it would happen after a few incompletions… but, then Acalanes went back to Torres on a ten-yard come-back route and he did the rest, spinning out of an initial tackle attempt and out-sprinting the rest of the Miramonte DBs, all the way to the end zone for six! Now the score was Dons 20, Mats 22, with time left in the first half.

The Mats got a short field again when a personal foul on the Dons pushed back the kick-off, but this time the defense stiffened and forced a turnover on fourth down. With the momentum back with Acalanes, they quickly moved downfield. A 25-yard catch and run by Rogers, a beautifully blocked 11-yard counter run by Burger, another 15-yard completion to Rogers, and finally a 10-yard scamper by Burger and Acalanes was back in the lead, Dons 27, Mats 22 to end the first half.

The second half started much the same as the first, with the Dons’ defense stopping the Mats and turning it back to the Acalanes O. However, the momentum from the first half didn’t immediately roll over to the second, and after the Dons were stopped on fourth down, Miramonte mounted a long TD drive to go back ahead, BUT failed on the two-point conversion so it was Dons 27, Mats 28.

That, however, would be the end of the Matadors’ run of good luck. A couple of runs and a quick completion to Rogers was followed by a bubble screen that WR Paul Kuhner took 20-yards to pay dirt and Acalanes was back in the lead, Dons 34, Mats 28. The true nail in the coffin, however, was to come from the defense. On the next possession, DT Brady Morrow bull-rushed right over the Mats’ RG and into the Miramonte QB’s face, swatting his attempted pass, batting it high end over end into the night air, and after a seeming eternity, it was deftly snagged for an interception by DE Justin Zegarowski. Now the turn of the tide had the Matadors in their own nightmare with the Dons feeling the momentum once more and two plays later QB Jake Boselli hit Rogers in the end zone and it was Dons 41, Mats 28.

Not wanting to let the Matadors up for air, the defense forced a quick three and out, and the offense wasted no time converting. A two-yard run by Boselli was followed by a 35-yard strike to Rogers, who pulled two Miramonte defenders into the end zone with him, Dons 48, Mats 28.

The game was over, but there was still some magic left, as P/FS Kyle Bielawski executed a perfectly placed pass on a fake punt, caught by WR Henry Souza, that led to the Dons’ last score, a rushing TD from RB Jack Miller, making the final Dons 52, Matadors 28.

MAXPREP PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Overall: Ethan Torres

• Played great on both sides of the ball
• 6 Receptions for 135 yards
• 2 Receiving TDs (68 & 59 yards)
• Avg 23 yards per catch
• Had 3 tackles
• 1 Interception on the 7-yard line preventing Miramonte from scoring and ran it back 93-yards for a TD; however, it was brought back due to a block in the back penalty on the 10-yard line after the interception.

Offensive: Trevor Rogers

• 9 catches for 158 yards and 3 TDs. 

Defensive:  Justin Zegarowski

• 8 Tackles, 2.5 TFL

Special Teams:  Ellis Burger

• 4 Kickoff Returns for 55 yards

Next week is the last league game at Northgate. Time for the Dons’ Family to show up big in Walnut Creek and send the boys off to the playoffs on a high! Go Dons!