PLEASANTON — In overtime of this outstanding Battle of Pleasanton high school football game, Amador Valley decided to keep the ball on the ground and in Jake Goldsworthy’s hands.
It turned out to be a good decision.
Goldsworthy, a junior, carried the ball on all four of Amador Valley’s plays in the overtime period, including the game-deciding 1-yard touchdown run. When the Dons defense didn’t allow Foothill a first down on its next possession, Amador Valley earned a 14-7 victory over the host Falcons on Friday night.
Amador Valley coach Danny Jones saw something he liked after Goldsworthy’s first carry in overtime for six yards to the 19-yard line. Each team started a drive 25 yards from the south end zone in overtime.
“After that first run, it looked like our o-line was mowing ‘em a little bit, so I wanted to stay with that,” Jones said. “That’s what got us to where we are. We run the football and we’re physical.
“This game’s a dogfight every single year.”
Goldsworthy rushed for a game-high 148 yards on 23 carries. Besides one 55-yarder and two 11-yarders, the rest of his rushes were of the grind-it-out variety.
“I’m more a power back,” said the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Goldsworthy. “I worked so hard in the offseason to get as strong and fast as possible, lower my shoulder, run through people and get as many yards as possible.”
Amador Valley, 14th in the Bay Area News Group rankings, improved to 3-1. Foothill, which allowed the Dons only 25 total yards besides Goldsworthy’s rushing output, fell to 2-3.
After a scoreless first quarter, Amador Valley reached the end zone first when 6-foot-5 James Rothstein used every inch of his long arms to snare a horizontal 8-yard touchdown pass in the end zone from Ryan Cannon with 7:21 left in the first half.
But Foothill answered right back. Erik Olsen found Jensen McMillan open on the right sideline and McMillan sped for a 57-yard touchdown catch. McMillan finished with two catches for 80 yards.
The score remained tied at 7-7 throughout the second half. Amador Valley’s special teams came up with two blocked field goals in the game: a 22-yard attempt to end the first drive of the game and a 25-yarder with three seconds remaining in regulation.
After Goldsworthy’s 6-yard run to start the overtime period, he advanced the ball on 7- and 11-yard rushes before finishing the drive with his 1-yard touchdown.
Amador Valley’s defense then drove back Foothill four yards on its first offensive play of overtime, then forced three incompletions to clinch the victory. The Falcons passed for 243 yards, but Amador Valley’s Miles Tucker produced the only turnover of the game with a second-quarter interception.
Source: www.mercurynews.com