Acalanes JV 18, Campolindo JV 7 | October 30, 2026
The monkey is officially off their backs!
After a season of hard-fought games, heartbreaking finishes, and more than their share of adversity, the Acalanes JV Dons put it all together Friday night against their crosstown rivals, the Campolindo Cougars. The result was a thrilling and well-deserved 18-7 victory, the Dons’ first of the season, fueled by a smothering defense, electrifying special teams, a punishing ground game, and an offensive line that consistently won the battle up front.
And the Dons’ sizable and spirited cheering section, sensing something special from the opening kickoff, matched the team’s energy throughout the evening.
A Defense That Came Ready to Play
The Cougars received the opening kickoff, but a strong boot by Will Feinstein and a solid tackle by Lelan Stone and Stone Jaquet left Campo starting at its own 32-yard line.
The Dons’ defense immediately established the tone. Luke Kelly limited the Cougars to a short gain on first down, and Jaquet provided blanket coverage on the next two passing attempts, both falling harmlessly to the turf. Three plays, no first downs, and Campo was already punting.
Kelly delivered a fine punt return, although a penalty brought the ball back to the Acalanes 26. Campo’s defense answered with its own three-and-out, forcing the Dons to punt.
But the Dons’ defense was just getting warmed up.
Kanishka Giridhar perfectly diagnosed a pass into the backfield, smothering the receiver for a loss. The next play featured a key sack deep in the backfield by Anthony Bishop, and the Cougars were again forced to punt.
Special Teams Makes Its Mark
Special teams can sometimes be overlooked, but not on this night.
Kelly delivered one of the season’s most electrifying returns, spinning, weaving, and accelerating through the Cougar coverage before finally being brought down at the two-yard line. The Dons’ crowd erupted, sensing that the first points of the game were imminent.
They were right.
On the very next play, Feinstein handed the ball to Lewis, who muscled his way into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Dons had their first lead: 6-0.
An out-of-bounds kickoff gave Campo possession at its own 35. Cooper and Lewis combined for a strong first-down stop, but a completion and a generous spot gave the Cougars a fresh set of downs.
Jaquet, seemingly everywhere on the field, then brought down the quarterback in the backfield, setting up third and eleven as the first quarter expired.
The second quarter opened with Campo looking deep, but Alden Sturm delivered a well-timed pass breakup, forcing another punt.
And then the football spirits smiled on the Dons.
The Cougar punt took an enormous forward bounce and appeared destined to be downed at the Acalanes one-yard line. Campo players raced downfield, but the ball and their bodies were tush-pushed forward, crossing the goal line by the narrowest of margins for a welcomed touchback.
A Roller Coaster Second Quarter
Starting at their own 20, the Dons began moving the ball. Feinstein connected with Konstantin Zahn, who powered forward after the catch, and followed that with a completion to Stone that moved the chains.
With approximately 7:40 remaining in the half, Feinstein handed the ball to Lewis, who exploded through the defense on a bruising 70-yard touchdown run. Lewis ran around, through, and seemingly over every Cougar in his path, only to have the spectacular effort erased by a penalty.
The Dons regrouped. Kelly delivered a chain-moving run, but a fourth-down incompletion eventually gave Campo possession near midfield.
With less than five minutes remaining, the Cougars mounted their first sustained offensive threat. An unusual backward pass bounced hard off the turf and somehow landed directly in the outstretched hands of a Cougar receiver some 20 yards away, producing a substantial gain.
Jaquet broke up the next pass, and the Dons held Campo to a one-yard run before the Cougars called timeout facing third and nine.
Campo converted with a deep completion, although Cooper delivered a fine tackle to prevent further damage. Bishop followed with another important stop, but the Cougars continued moving the chains and eventually found the end zone on a deep pass.
The successful extra point gave Campo its first lead, 7-6.
For a Dons team that had endured several heartbreaking finishes, this was a familiar moment. But this time, the script would be different.
Another out-of-bounds kickoff gave Acalanes possession at its own 35 with little time remaining. Feinstein went to work, completing passes to Jaquet and Kelly to move the Dons into Cougar territory.
Then Lewis took a screen pass and transformed it into another spectacular display of determination, breaking multiple tackles and powering all the way to the Campo three-yard line.
With just 13 seconds remaining and no timeouts, Feinstein found a wide-open Lelan Stone in the end zone for the touchdown!
The two-point conversion failed, but the Dons had reclaimed the lead, 12-7.
Campo managed a respectable return on the ensuing kickoff, but Stone emphatically ended any hopes of last-second heroics with a rugged tackle near the 40-yard line, all while making a determined effort to strip the ball from the returner’s hands.
The Dons headed into halftime with the lead, the momentum, and a growing sense that this might finally be their night.
The Ground Game Takes Over
The Dons opened the second half with possession at their own 41-yard line, and the offensive line went to work.
Feinstein repeatedly fed Lewis and Kelly, who alternated carrying the ball through holes created by a determined offensive front. The line consistently pushed forward, giving the Dons the opportunity to establish a sustained, physical running attack, particularly with speedy outside receivers like Zenai Kaplanes-Jones stretching the field and preventing the Cougars from stacking the box . Aiden Jeffrey, who had spent many games on the varsity squad, DJ McClelland and Harrison Clark had an important impact on the lines and Samson Salvador contributed on offensive as tight end and the defensive line. This correspondent gives the Game Ball to the entire offensive and defensive lines and Jaquet.
The drive culminated with Kelly scampering into the end zone for another touchdown!
The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Dons had extended their advantage to 18-7.
And the defense was not about to let the Cougars back into the game.
Declan Krause made his presence felt at linebacker, Griffin delivered multiple pass breakups, and Beau Tandler finished the defensive stand with a beautiful tackle in the backfield – complementing his repeated pancake blocks that benefitted Don running-backs – forcing another Cougar punt.
That was apparently the signal the McClellan family had been waiting for.
Huddled together in the stands, the family finally broke out the previously unused bag of blue cowbells, distributing them to the outstretched hands of enthusiastic Dons supporters with season’s worth of pent-up energy. The unmistakable sound of cowbells soon joined the already considerable supportive cheering by the many gleeful Don fans.
Whether the sudden percussion rattled the Cougar special teams is a matter for football historians. What we do know is that the ensuing snap sailed past the punter, giving Acalanes possession at the Campo 22-yard line.
Lewis and Kelly repeatedly pounded their way toward the goal line, advancing as far as the seven yard-line before the Cougars held firm. The Dons ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
No matter. The defense, which was relentless from start to finish, simply returned to work.
Lewis, who seemed to be flying around the field all evening, delivered a fine pass breakup. Stone contributed a shoestring tackle, and the defensive unit again prevented Campo from moving the chains.
The Cougars turned the ball over on downs, and the Dons were back in business.
Finishing the Job
With Campo needing multiple scores and the clock becoming its greatest enemy, the Dons shifted their attention to controlling possession and the clock.
Lewis and Kelly continued churning out hard-earned yardage behind an offensive line that had established its dominance. The Dons ultimately turned the ball over on downs at the Cougar 13, but the drive accomplished precisely what was needed.
Campo was pinned deep in its own territory, had exhausted its timeouts, and had only a couple of minutes remaining.
The defense, yet again, took care of the rest.
Griffin, Kelly, Cooper and their teammates continued disrupting passes, closing quickly on receivers, and denying the Cougars any opportunity to mount a meaningful comeback.
As the final seconds ticked away, the Dons’ sideline cheering section could finally celebrate what the team had worked toward all season. A victory over Campolindo. And a particularly satisfying one at that.
The Secret to Success?
After the game, a smiling Coach Nat Beeman offered his perspective:
“Good things happen when the team adopts a ‘Next Play’ mentality. We repeatedly needed to focus on the next six seconds in front of us, and that’s exactly what they did.”
Of course, those of us in the stands might be forgiven for considering a few alternative explanations for Friday’s breakthrough.
Was it simply a long-overdue regression to the mean after a season in which seemingly every bounce, break, and close finish had gone the other way?
Was it Harrison’s father Steve Clark’s impressive Thursday post-practice red-meat grilling, providing just the right carnivorous fuel for a physical Friday night performance?
Perhaps it was the piercing enthusiasm of the Stone family, whose vocal support could probably be heard halfway back to Lafayette.
Or could it have been the magical McClellan cowbells, finally unleashed at precisely the right moment?
All worthy theories, and none should be dismissed without further investigation.
But Coach Beeman has consistently emphasized a more directly obvious formula throughout the season: preparation, focus, and execution. Occam’s razor. On Friday night, the Dons delivered all three.
The defense was relentless. Special teams produced game-changing plays. The offensive line imposed its will. And all three phases capitalized on its opportunities. Importantly, the team stayed focused on the play immediately in front of them.
For a group of young men and coaches who have continued showing up, working hard, and competing through a challenging season, this victory was richly deserved.
Congratulations to our JV Dons and their coaches. We are very proud of you!
And with that, this correspondent contentedly signs off to prepare for Halloween.
The Dons head into next Friday’s season finale at home against Benicia with a little extra spring in their step and a well-earned victory under their belts. There is good reason for optimism. Benicia has endured its own challenging season, and the results against common opponents, including Benicia defeats to Campolindo, American Canyon, and Clayton Valley, suggest that these two teams are well matched, with an edge to the Dons.
Of course, games aren’t won on paper, and Coach Beeman would surely remind us that the only thing that matters is the next six seconds. So let’s pack the stands, bring the energy (and definitely the cowbells), and give these young men and their coaches one more memorable Friday night under the lights.
A special shout-out to the many Dons who have been sidelined by injuries throughout the season. Your contributions, whether on the field or cheering on your teammates from the sidelines, have been an important part of this team. Here’s wishing everyone a speedy and complete recovery.
Wouldn’t it be nice to finish the season with two straight wins? Go Dons!
