For the first time in 21 years, Carlmont has beaten Aragon in a football game. For the record, I was six years old. Man.
Big ups to the Scots for making big plays and coming up huge. This kid, Robert Johnson, he’s a beast. I mention his last TD in the story but I didn’t give him the credit he deserves — that guy put a move on #22 that, wow, broke his ankles, buckled his knees, etc etc — like when you hit the juke button on Madden in easy mode … you go one way, and the defender goes flying in the other direction. Yeah, like that bad. Sorry 22.
And Robbie Demattei was a blanket with hands on Saturday too. His last interception was phenomenal and it showed great concentration. You gotta tell your boys to watch the blocks on the back though! It cost him a pick-6!
Anyways, hot day, but it was good to watch some football. Photo is by Andrew Scheiner of the Daily Journal. You can find he story online here. For the record, I checked out two different stories today, the one for the Merc and for Patch. I had Johnson with 176 yards rushing, the Merc, 191 and Patch, 201. Go figure.
Carlmont shakes history
By Julio Lara Daily Journal Staff
All you had to do was hang out a couple of minutes on the Carlmont sideline during Saturday afternoon’s game against Aragon to know what the non-league matchup meant to the Scots.
It was about the number 21.
The entire game the Scots reminded themselves that the last time Carlmont beat Aragon in a football game none of the current players on the 2010 squad were alive — that’s right, it was had 21 years.
The drought is over.
Carlmont took advantage of seven Aragon turnovers, five in the second half alone, and rode the legs of Robert Johnson and his 264 yards of total offense to secure a “historic” 20-6 over the visiting Dons.
The win might not mean much in the standings, but make no mistake about it, the result was huge for the Scots.
“I’m so proud of our guys,” said Carlmont head coach Jason Selli. “We talked about it all week — each play was an important play, each block was an important block and then worry about the scoreboard later. And I think that’s how you get through tough games, you take it one play at time.”
It was a game of big plays for the Scots, who were outgained offensively 356 to 346 but stepped up big when the situation asked for it.
Four plays into their first drive Carlmont got on the board on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Jack Karasky to Johnson, who did most of the work after the catch, sprinting down the visiting sideline for the 7-0 lead.
Carlmont’s defense bent throughout the game, but showed that they would not break. On the ensuing drive the Scots showed the Dons the type of game it was going to be when Robby Demattei intercepted the ball that would have been a pick-six were it not for an illegal block penalty that placed the ball on the Aragon 30 yard line.
And that was the story for Carlmont on Saturday — for all the things they did well defensively (forcing seven turnovers) the Scots did not take advantage of those Aragon mistakes and let them hang around for the majority of the contest.
Of the seven turnovers Carlmont converted only one for a score and that came in the fourth quarter when they were hanging on to a slim lead.
The Dons cut into the touchdown deficit with a big play of their own less than two minutes into the second quarter when Anthony Nichols hooked up with Aaron Eder on a 61-yard pitch and catch. Aragon missed the extra point and would not score again the rest of the game.
Carlmont would give themselves a bit of breathing room with less than three minutes remaining in the first half on a 5-yard touchdown run by Johnson.
The seven-point lead looked to be in jeopardy throughout the second half with Aragon moving the ball effectively with Eder and Sam Pacholuk. But five times the Dons shot themselves in the foot with turnovers, three of which came when Aragon was making legitimate threats to score.
Demattei collected two more picks in the second half, the third coming on an excellent athletic play inside his own 10-yard line.
The Scots sealed the deal with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter on Johnson’s third touchdown of the afternoon — a 47-yard touchdown run straight from the Barry Sanders book for electrifying touchdown runs.
“Call it the Shake-n-Bake,” Johnson said after the game. “It was a really good game. We’ve been waiting for this game for a year. We had to break this streak.”
“Defensively we played a great game. We executed very well (and) we were hungry,” Demattei said. “(Beating Aragon) shows that we’re here to play, we’re tough and you’re going to have to play hard to get through us.”
The outcome was surprising in that the Scots were superior against a team that has long been the jewel of the Peninsula Athletic League Bay division. Carlmont will play in the Lake division this season, or two divisions lower on the proverbial totem pole.
“In fairness to them they forced a lot of them (the turnovers) and we were overwhelmed at the point of attack,” said Aragon head coach Steve Sell. “They’re good. They’re athletic and fast. I know we could’ve matched them score for score but then again we were having a hard time making big plays. When we would get a good play we just didn’t have that extra gear to make it a touchdown,” Sell said.
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