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Sports

FOOTBALL: Trojans' Winning Streak Ended by Mustangs

Homestead's running game was too much for Milpitas, who lost only its second game of the season Friday night to the Mustangs 20-6.

For the first time this season, the football team Friday night faced a team with a similar game plan to its own - pounding the ball up the middle, and suffocating on defense.

On Friday night, the Trojans couldn’t stop Homestead High-Cupertino's vicious running game, or get their offense going during their 20-6 loss, snapping the team’s four-game winning streak.

Add in numerous costly turnovers and a couple of bad calls by the referees, and it made for a long night for Milpitas on the road.

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“It was a crazy night,” Milpitas Coach Kelly King said. “I don’t understand some of the things I saw out there. Sometimes we can’t control the forces that work against you in a game.”

The Mustangs wasted no time unleashing their ground attack with a 26-yard run by senior Tyler Bond, who put the home team in good field position early. Jorge Talamante finished Homestead’s opening drive with a 2-yard run into the end zone to put Homestead up 7-0.

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After recovering a fumble two plays later, Bond charged his way up the middle of the field for 38 yards before senior quarterback Cameron Heen snuck the ball in on a one-yard touchdown run to put the Mustangs up 14-0.

Homestead adding a field goal late in the first half sent the Trojans to their locker room, down 17-0. During the half, Coach King said he and his coaches told his players not to give up, and that there was still a lot of football to be played.

“I just told them to keep playing and keep battling,” said Coach King.

Starting off the third quarter, Milpitas drove 79 yards in four plays to cut down the score to 14-6. During the drive, senior quarterback Tony Sauceda connected for four straight passes to Rodney McKenzie and Jordan Lockett.

It looked as though the Trojans had found their offensive mojo, but that was as close as Milpitas would come to putting points up on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, when senior running back Sammy Fanua tumbled his way into the end zone on a two-yard run.

As the Trojans were celebrating, the refs huddled and called the play dead, saying that Fanua was downed before crossing the goal line.

The missed call sucked the energy out of the Trojans and their fans, and the visiting squad could not find any momentum after the play, leading to the team’s second loss of the season.

The Trojans and Mustangs are now tied for third in the De Anza division and head into the last week of the season with 4-2 records in league play and 7-2 overall.

Coach King said he and his players will use tonight’s loss to motivate themselves for their final regular season game next Thursday against the Palo Alto Vikings.

“We’re going to get back to work on Monday,” Coach King said. “We got a great chance against Palo Alto and in the playoffs. We’re going to be really hungry and we’re looking for a title.”

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