FREMONT >> California School for the Deaf jumped out to the early lead and never looked back, defeating Clear Lake 24-15 in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division V football playoffs on Friday night in Fremont.
After the two teams battled to a scoreless deadlock in the first quarter, the Eagles (10-1) collected two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to open up a 12-0 halftime lead.
The Cardinals (5-6) moved the ball deep into CSD territory twice in the second quarter – early in the period and just before halftime – only to fumble the ball away both times.
“We were a little flat tonight,” Clear Lake coach Mark Cory said. “They made the plays and we didn’t, that’s what it comes down to. We didn’t get in much of an offensive rhythm all night.”
CSD scored on two long pass plays in the second half, the first one in the third quarter to go up 18-0 and again in the fourth quarter to make it 24-7. In between Eagles touchdown passes the Cardinals got on the scoreboard on Austin Davis’ 2-yard reverse in the third quarter. Clear Lake scored again in the fourth quarter on an Alex Adams 3-yard pass to Davis followed by the two-point conversion pass from Adams to Bobby Gonzalez.
“It didn’t quite end the way we wanted,” Cory said of his first season as Clear Lake’s coach. “Like I told the kids, it’s hard to win playoff games. You have to play your best because you’re playing the best teams.”
Inheriting a program in disarray, Cory took a last-place squad in 2015, one that forfeited two league games because it didn’t have enough players, and turned it into a playoff team. The Cardinals won their final two North Central League I games to reach the postseason, including a 50-44 victory at St. Helena in the regular-season finale for both teams.
“Overall it was a great season,” Cory said. “We got better every week and the seniors bought into what we were doing … and that’s hard because they only have one year. The younger guys see that it is possible.”
CSD entered play as the No. 8 seed in the Division V playoff field to Clear Lake’s No. 9. The Eagles move on to the quarterfinals and will play at No. 1 seed Berean Christian (7-3) next Friday at Clayton Valley Charter School in Concord. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
In another first-round game on Friday night, No. 5 seed St. Patrick-St. Vincent routed No. 12 St. Francis 55-22. St. Patrick-St. Vincent plays No. 4 Stellar a week from tonight in the quarterfinals at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
