Las Lomas challenge awaits Terra Linda
Terra Linda-San Rafael football coach Rich Cotruvo was born, raised and still lives in Walnut Creek.
The 1973 graduate of longclosed Del Valle used to play his high school football games at Las Lomas-Walnut Creek, where his 11th-seeded Trojans (7-4) will be heavy underdogs Saturday in a North Coast Section Division 3 quarterfinal game against the Knights (11-0).
“We didn’t have lights, so we played there,” Cotruvo said. “I have a lot of fond memories on that field.”
Saturday isn’t expected to be one of them.
Third-seeded Las Lomas might have its best team in school history and has run over its opponents by a downright preposterous score of 544-33. The Knights have size, speed and FBS-bound athletes.
The Trojans, who earned a share of the Marin County Athletic League title for the first time in 37 years, counter with heart, moxie and togetherness.
No matter what happens Saturday, Terra Linda has surpassed expectations.
“They’re very, very close,” Cotruvo said. “You hear about teams being family, but this is authentic. They love being around each other, and it’s fun. They’re a joy to be around.”
They showed all that camaraderie in a 21-20 first-round win Saturday at then-undefeated Pinole Valley. Terra Linda lost a fumble on its first play from scrimmage, fell behind 14-0 by the middle of the second quarter and yet somehow prevailed.
Senior running back/linebacker Jackson Zabierek cut the deficit in half with a short touchdown run before halftime.
Senior designated quarterback sneaker Will Davis — at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, one of the biggest players on the team — tied it with a 1-yard keeper early in the third. Riley Silveria hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Tarantino late in the third to go ahead 21-14, then knocked away a potential game-winning pass on a two-point try in the final seconds.
Pinole Valley, which played without quarterback Demari Davis (1,937 total yards, 23 touchdowns) for the third straight week because of injury, finished 10-1. It was the only real upset of the first round of the NCS playoffs.
“We just told the guys that we’ve got to believe and they did,” Cotruvo said. “These kids have achieved quite a bit for little Terra Linda. I hope they’re happy but not satisfied. We have a huge task in front of us.” Girls volleyball: Sacred Heart Cathedral, coming off its first CCS Open Division championship in a five-game thriller over archrival St. Ignatius, is the top Open Division seed heading into Wednesday’s opening round of the Northern California tournament.
The Irish (30-6) host eighthseeded Ponderosa-Shingle Springs (31-2) at 7 p.m. Sixthseeded St. Ignatius (27-14) travels to third-seeded Marin Catholic-Kentfield (36-3). Other Open Division seeds including James Logan-Union City (32-7, fourth) and seventh-seeded Palo Alto (24-5).
Foothill-Pleasanton (28-6) is the top seed in D1 and hosts Notre Dame-Belmont (27-12) in a first-round match. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (30-6), Campolindo-Moraga (26-8) and Amador Valley-Pleasanton (24-6) are the next three D1 seeds.
NCS champions crowned last week were Logan (D1), O’Dowd (D2), Marin Catholic (D3), Branson-Ross (D4) and Convent of the Sacred Heart (D5). Other CCS champs crowned last week: Homestead Cupertino (D1), Aragon-San Mateo (D2), Soquel (D3), Notre Dame-Belmont (D4) and Mount Madonna-Watsonville (D5).
In the San Francisco Section, Lincoln edged Lowell in five games for the title. Those squads have split four matches. Lincoln (32-8) is the 12th seed in D2 at NorCals, and Lowell (25-7) is the fifth seed in D3. Girls golf: Dougherty ValleySan Ramon and Carondelet Concord’s Carissu Wu were the big winners at Monday’s NorCal championships at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club. Dougherty Valley (390 strokes), led by Danielle Suh’s 2-over-par 73, won the team title over Granite Bay (392) and Carondelet (393). All three teams will advance to the state championships Nov. 14 at Victory Club in Riverside. Wu tied for the medalist honor with a round of 70.