Some football games end when the clock reaches zero. Others linger for a while.
Friday’s 15-14 loss to Miramonte falls squarely into the latter category. Acalanes led or was tied for virtually the entire game, twice held a seven-point advantage, and seemed to have matters reasonably in hand until the final minute. Then, in the span of a few plays, a game that had belonged to neither team but leaned decidedly toward the Dons suddenly tipped the other way.
Acalanes opened with a squib kick that Miramonte fielded cleanly near midfield, but the Don defense immediately established what kind of afternoon this would be. Lelan Stone, Luke Kelly, Stone Jaquet, Luke Fratarcangeli, Aiden Jeffrey and company delivered a succession of sturdy tackles, often in the backfield. Miramonte moved the chains, but slowly, and the drive ultimately ended when Stone recovered a fumble.
The Dons were already operating without several important weapons. Mateo Valenzuela and Andre Lewis were sidelined but providing vocal support, while Jack Debban was sporting a cast. That opened an opportunity for Kellan Middleton, who stepped into a larger role at running back, rotating with Jayden Lifson and Kelly.
After the Dons punted, newly arrived Jake Mikalis, down from the varsity squad for a JV cameo, promptly introduced himself by downing the ball at the Miramonte eight. The defense went right back to work. Samson Salvador, DJ McClellan and Stone were among those making their presence felt as another Miramonte possession ended with a punt.
Kelly’s quality punt return gave Acalanes good field position, and Zenai Kaplanes-Jones, back after missing games earlier this season with a foot fracture, joined Jackson Cooper, Kelly and Mikalis in showing steady hands on a series of strong Will Feinstein throws. Middleton and Kelly supplied the ground game, although penalties repeatedly complicated matters. The drive finally ended deep in Miramonte territory when a pretty Feinstein toss toward Stone in the end zone landed just beyond his reach despite a terrific effort on both sides of the play.
And somehow, after less than 30 minutes of actual elapsed time, one of the speediest halves in JV football history ended exactly where it began: 0-0.
The most haunting first-half development was an injury to Lifson, who landed awkwardly and had to leave for Kaiser. It was a difficult sight for teammates, families and fans alike. In a reassuring postscript, Lifson and his remarkable smile returned later that evening, arm in a sling, to cheer on the varsity Dons.
Acalanes would therefore have to try to make rain in the second half without Thunder or Lightning. As play resumed following a halftime break, Coach Nat Beeman could be heard reminding his players, “Every play matters. Play this game like each play matters.”
As it turned out, he could hardly have chosen more prescient words.
Kelly took on most of the second-half rushing load, with Middleton spelling him. A Mikalis catch off a deflection went for nine yards, and then Kelly began ripping off chunk gains. He finished the drive himself, bouncing off defenders, breaking a tackle and hopping into the end zone for the game’s first points. Feinstein split the uprights for the extra point and, with 6:43 remaining in the third quarter, Acalanes led 7-0.
Miramonte answered with exactly the kind of drive the Don defense had been making difficult all afternoon. Jeffrey, Stone, Salvador, Kanishka Giridhar, Fratarcangeli and others repeatedly forced third and fourth downs, only to see Miramonte do just enough to keep the drive alive and move the chains. A touchdown pass and extra point finally tied the game 7-7 with 8:56 remaining.
Jaquet returned the ensuing kickoff to the 30, and the Dons went back to work. Mikalis made another impressive catch, while Stone and Kelly contributed important yards after the catch. Then, after a false start pushed Acalanes backward, Mikalis provided the game’s biggest offensive highlight.
On a contested ball in the end zone, he went full Mike Evans, rising above the defender and ripping the football away for the touchdown. Feinstein again calmly added the extra point.
Dons 14, Miramonte 7.
And the clock was ticking. Just not quite fast (or consistently) enough.
With the Miramonte drive starting at their 39-yard line, Miramonte reeled off successive long plays getting down to the 19-yards line. Multiple incompletions helped set up a fourth down. But Miramonte converted, found the end zone, and then successfully went for two. 15-14. Their first lead of the game.
The Dons had only 19 seconds left, yet there was still fight left in them. A creative kickoff return featuring multiple laterals reached midfield. Feinstein then found Kaplanes-Jones, who wisely got himself down near the 30 with the clock showing 0.4 seconds and Acalanes still possessing a timeout.
There appeared to be time for one last bit of football.
The officials saw it differently and instead declared the game over.
And that was that.
There is no particularly clever way to dress up a 15-14 loss in a game the Dons led until the final moments. This one hurt. But Beeman’s postgame message in the huddle offered a useful way to leave it. He acknowledged the frustration, then asked his players to come together and support one another.
That seems particularly fitting after an afternoon when the Dons had already been asked to adjust to the sadness and challenges of missing teammates, absorb yet additional difficult injuries, fill unfamiliar roles and keep playing through a game in which, as their coach had warned them, every single play really did matter.
The result will sting for a while. It probably should. But the better measure of this team will be what happens after the sting wears off, when the Dons get back together, get back to work, and get another chance to make those plays count….
Alden’s dad now signs off wishing our injured Dons speedy recoveries, appreciating a Don team that fought until the final fraction of a second, and still wondering why a game-clock shows tenths of a second if those fractions do not matter at the end of a game.