Antioch back fuels late stand to beat Liberty

If an Antioch High football coach is quoted saying Jorge Hernandez Jr. “can do it all,” it’s not hyperbole.

Of the Panthers’ 18 plays in the fourth quarter at LibertyBrentwood on Friday, Hernandez ran on 16 of them. He punted on one of the other two. The only play he didn’t factor into was a missed field-goal attempt.

The senior rushed for 118 of his 279 yards during the fourth quarter, then sealed Antioch’s 6-0 Bay Valley Athletic League win with an interception of Nate Bell’s pass with 6.6 seconds left. So what was running through his mind as the Panthers celebrated a fifth straight win that set them up for a BVAL title-deciding rivalry matchup at Pittsburg next week?

“Sleep. Eating. Everything,” Hernandez said. His 279 yards on the ground were the most by an Antioch running back since current Pittsburgh Steeler Najee Harris rushed for 304 in November 2016. “I don’t know, man. I’m just glad to go home right now. Celebrating, then sleeping in.”

Hernandez had the game’s only points. He broke off a 72yard run on Antioch’s second play of the game and was eventually chased down 3 yards shy of the score. Two plays later, he got those last 3 yards.

“He’s our guy,” Antioch coach John Lucido said of Hernandez. “And the guys up front, they believe in him — and he believes in the O-line. … He’s a great kid, a great student-athlete. I’m proud of him and his success.”

With the win, Antioch (6-3, 4-0 BVAL) all but guaranteed its inclusion in the eight-team North Coast Section Division I playoff field regardless of how it fares against Pittsburg (6-1, 4-0). The Panthers’ three losses this season are to teams with a combined record of 20-7.

Antioch needed all of Hernandez’s efforts to hold off a Liberty team that continued to fight. The Lions (4-5, 2-2) came alive late in the third quarter when Bell — who hadn’t practiced all week due to a right ankle injury suffered in a win over Freedom-Oakley — hobbled into the game.

Bell, whose mobility was clearly limited, came in to complete 9 of 17 passes for 125 yards. He led two drives inside Antioch’s 20-yard line, but both came up empty.

In addition to Hernandez’s game-clinching interception, the Antioch defense had strong efforts from Isaiah Pino and Christopher Merino. Hernandez’s big rushing night also pushed him over 1,000 yards for the season. No. 1 St. Francis 45, Mitty 0:

Josh Perry completed 9 of 12 passes for 112 yards and two scores and the host Monarchs (8-0, 6-0 West Catholic Athletic League) rushed for 239 yards and three scores in a win over the Monarchs (1-8, 0-6) to set up a championship-deciding tilt at No. 3 Serra next week. The Padres (8-0, 6-0) beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 36-7 Thursday at Kezar Stadium behind quarterback Dominique Lampkin (167 yards, three touchdowns) and running back Petelo Gi (12 carries, 159 yards, two TDs).

No. 2 De La Salle-Concord 41, Amador Valley-Pleasanton 0:

Luke Dermon threw for 125 yards and three touchdowns, Zeke Berry threw a 57-yard TD pass and Grant Taft, Michael Freeman, Bryant Meredith and Charles Greer each had touchdown receptions as the host Spartans (7-2, 3-0 East Bay Athletic League Mountain) recorded their first shutout of the season. De La Salle piled up 461 yards, including touchdown runs of 72 by A.J. Bianchina and 56 yards by Greer. Amador Valley fell to 4-5, 0-4.

No. 7 Clayton Valley-Concord 34, No. 6 Monte Vista-Danville 14: Nicholas Khashabi broke off two long touchdown runs in the second half and finished with 140 rushing yards leading a 27-7 run in the second half, lifting the host Eagles (7-2, 3-1 EBAL Mountain) over the Mustangs (7-1, 2-1).

No. 16 Bellarmine 45, No. 8 Valley Christian 34: Backup quarterback Nate Escalada accounted for 270 yards and two touchdowns, Ben Pfaff rushed for 146 yards and two scores and Christopher Jaeb caught two scoring passes as the visiting Bells (6-3, 3-3 WCAL) broke a five-game skid to the Warriors (5-4, 3-3), who had huge games from quarterback Jakson Berman (403 total yards, four TDs) and Jurrion Dickey (five catches, 103 yards, two TDs). Dickey also had a kickoff return for a score.

No. 17 Menlo School-Atherton 55, Carlmont-Belmont 17: Sergio Beltran set a Central Coast Section regular-season passing touchdown record while accounting for 374 yards and six scores in a decisive Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division win for the Knights (9-0, 5-0). Beltran completed 17 of 25 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 43 on the season, breaking the 1989 regular-season mark of 41 set by Monte Vista-Cupertino’s Ryan Hancock, according to the Cal-Hi Sports record book. Beltran also rushed 10 times for 95 yards and three more scores. Carlmont dropped to 1-8, 0-5. Lincoln 20, Mission 6: Ricky Underwood rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, Amonte Ogilvie returned a blocked punt for a score and Dan O’Connell added a 35-yard TD run, lifting the Mustangs (5-3, 4-0 Academic Athletic Association) to victory over the Bears (1-6, 1-3) at Kezar Stadium. Vincent Huang and Ogilvie led the defense for Lincoln. “It ain’t pretty, but we play hard and for each other,” Lincoln coach Phil Ferrigno said.

SATURDAY

St. Ignatius 24, No. 23 Riordan 21: Five turnovers, two defensive touchdowns and a 63-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Smith to Ryan Ivers keyed the road win for the Wildcats (4-5, 2-4), who secured the Gil Haskell trophy by beating the Crusaders (5-4, 2-4). A sack, fumble and recovery in the end zone, plus a pick-six by Parker August quickly gave St. Ignatius a two-score lead before a 38yard field goal from Cooper Lucey made it 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. A 52-yard touchdown pass from Emilio Cruz to Zachary Jones followed by a 16-yard TD ramble by Kemoeatu Kefu cut the lead to 17-14 before the Smith-to-Ivers connection made it 24-14. A 1-yard plunge by Kefu cut the lead to 24-21 in the fourth quarter, but the St. Ignatius defense held from there.