All three phases lead Acalanes freshman football to season’s first victory

Acalanes’ Rocco Cognilio bursts through a hole for a 6-yard run, setting up his second rushing touchdown of the first half on the next play. (*Photo by Jocelyn Birrell*)

By DON DELCO

SAN FRANCISCO — Two first-half rushing touchdowns by Rocco Coniglio proved to be more than enough to lead the Acalanes freshman football team to its first win of the season, 23-6 over St. Ignatius on Saturday, Sept. 12 at J.B. Murphy Field.

The Dons’ dictated the majority of the game with a consistent performance from all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — to improve to 1-2 while St. Ignatius lost its second consecutive game to drop to 1-2.

“This was great for the kids’ self-esteem,” Acalanes coach Dana Hemmingsen said. “As a parent, you know what’s around the corner, but until they see it, they feel it and they deal with it you don’t have much credibility.

“We knew the first two games were going to be really rough. What I loved about both those games is they learned a lot and didn’t hesitate. They weren’t timid and you can build on that. They put in a huge investment that will pay off. As long as we go out there with 11 players on both sides doing their job, keep stacking plays and trust us, good things will happen. I’m pleased it turned out that way.”

Acalanes took the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back thanks to the Dons’ defense earning their second safety in back-to-back games. St. Ignatius lined up in punt formation, but a bad snap from its own 24-yard line rolled into the end zone. There, Kai Harmeyer met the Wildcats’ punter, who landed on top of the loose ball. It was the first time this season the Dons held a lead.

Acalanes took the ensuing free kick and embarked on a 7-play, 46-yard drive culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run by Coniglio to extend Acalanes’ lead to 9-0 with 2:34 left in the opening quarter.

“That was huge,” Hemmingsen said. “Football a battle for momentum in its simplest form. You either got it or you’re trying to get it back. When you make a defensive play like that and then march down and score a touchdown, that’s a big chunk of momentum. At that point, you’re controlling it.”

In the second quarter, Acalanes defensive back Caelen Birrell intercepted St. Ignatius quarterback Laith Edress at the Dons’ 45-yard line. Birrell returned it 20 yards to set Acalanes’ up at the St. Ignatius 35-yard line. Acalanes put together another 7-play drive — six of which were runs by Coniglio — ending with a 1-yard plunge for his second score.

Following a scoreless third quarter, St. Ignatius cut into the Acalanes’ lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, as Edress found Sawyer Gurries on a 12-yard touchdown pass, punctuating an 11-play, 50-yard drive. The point after attempt hit the right upright, and the Dons’ led 16-6 with 9:55 left to play.

Acalanes took the ensuing possession and began working the clock. The Dons marched 47 yards on nine plays before the drive stalled at the Wildcats’ 33-yard line. Acalanes punter Mateo Potts pinned St. Ignatius at its own 2-yard line. A three-and-out by the host team led to the Dons taking over on the Wildcats’ 38-yard line.

Acalanes stayed on the ground to grind more clock. Five consecutive runs by Tate Foster ended with a 4-yard touchdown run. Place kicker Nico Beuchotte drilled his third point after attempt to extend Acalanes’ lead to 23-6 with 60 seconds left in the game.

Coniglio and Foster each had 11 carries for 63 and 49 yards, respectively. In all, Acalanes had 26 attempts for 101 yards for a 3.9 yards per carry average.

“(Offensive coordinator Vim Keosian) has been invited to higher levels of coaching for clock management,” Hemmingsen said. “He’s really good. We didn’t have a play clock (at St. Ignatius) and he’s looking at the back judge to see his 10-second signal. Vim is waiting until the final seconds to call a time out to burn a lot of clock. He’s got a lot of experience and is really good at that. In a close game that can make a big difference.”

The Dons also did damage in the air, as starting quarterback Eli Cooley finished 9-for-14 passing for 79 yards. Birrell had five catches for 50 yards and Harmeyer added three catches for 25.

Harmeyer also recovered his third fumble in as many games negating a 21-yard pass completion from Edress to Sean Kott early in the third quarter. Birrell knocked the ball free from Kott at the Acalanes’ 30-yard line where it was pounced on by Harmeyer at the Dons’ 26.

Acalanes won the turnover battle for the second consecutive game, 2-0, while the Dons defense held St. Ignatius to 24 yards rushing on 14 carries. Edress was 14-for-24 passing for 137 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Dons defensive end Luca Delco had two tackles for loss while Massimo Cangini and Foster had one each.

“These freshmen are getting snapshots in their brains and collecting them in a library,” Hemmingsen said. “Now, I can show them something on our tables during a game and show them what went wrong and how to fix it. What I’ve seen now is their mistakes just need simple corrections.”

GAME CAPTAINS — Jovani Bordi, Cangini, Beckett Mason and Yannick Ngako

SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE WEEK — No. 46 Hunter Stemmer. “Resilient,” said Hemmingsen

NEXT GAME — A quick turnaround for Acalanes as the Dons play host to College Park at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17. The Falcons are 1-1 after playing their first two games at home, beating Campolindo 14-6 on Sept. 3 before losing to Bellarmine College Prep 28-0 on Sept. 10. Acalanes beat College Park 28-6 last season.