Silverado rallies from down 20 to beat Bonanza

Friday night’s season opener for the Silverado football team started out as night the Skyhawks would rather forget, but ended as a comeback they always will remember.

Silverado running back Jacob Mendez scored on a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with 1:09 remaining to cap off the an improbable 21-point rally as the Skyhawks downed Bonanza, 21-20.

The comeback was officially complete when Michael Darin’s extra point sailed through the uprights. The Skyhawks scored 21 unanswered points in the final 12:50 of the game. Silverado also converted four fourth downs on its last two scoring drives.

“It feels good – very exciting, very exciting,” senior offensive lineman Treve Guilliod said. “I’d just like to thank everyone on my team for sticking in four quarters all through the game. We knew we just had to keep our head in the game for four quarters. We shut them out after they scored their 20. They didn’t score the rest of the game. So that’s on our defense.”

When the Skyhawks (1-0) needed a spark, coach Andy Ostolaza decided to scrap his spread offense for a tried-and-true offensive strategy: the power run game.

The Skyhawks took advantage of their big offensive line, grinding out 188 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries in the second half. Breven Palpallatoc ran for 92 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and Kevon White ran for 16 yards and a touchdown on five carries, all in the second half.

Mendez added 72 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He also ran in a 2-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter to cut the Bengals’ lead to 20-14.

“Well, the first quarter was so bad,” Ostolaza said. “We made so many mistakes. We just couldn’t get a rhythm in the spread, so the other part of our game is that we have the ability to go to the run in the power game.

“Right now, we can rely on our offense by those five guys on the offensive line. It’s the heart of our team, it’s sitting right there. They just did an outstanding job. We had some injuries, but they overcame them. It’s awesome. One of the best games I’ve ever been a part of.”

The Bengals (1-1) still had one last chance to win the game, but after a short completion, the Skyhawks defense forced its only turnover of the night when Mendez scooped up a loose ball to secure the win.

The start of the game was a nightmare for Silverado.

Bonanza quarterback Kyle Allison’s first pass was a screen to Justin Bacon that turned into a 90-yard touchdown. The Skyhawks fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Allison scored two plays later on a 3-yard run.

The Skyhawks’ next two drives ended in interceptions, including one that Shamarion Bellegarde returned 65 yards for a touchdown.

After the disastrous first quarter, the Skyhawks defense shut down the Bengals, holding them to 73 yards rushing on 20 carries. They only gave up three first downs in the second half – two on the Bengals’ final drive.

“Defensively, I thought we did well outside of that first series where we gave up the quick touchdown,” Ostolaza said. “But outside of that, I was just so happy for the kids, the way they fought back was awesome; it’s awesome.”