Sports
FOOTBALL: Trojans Keep Rolling With Another Win
Milpitas High wins its third game in a row with a nail-biting victory over undefeated division rival Los Gatos.
It’s always nice to take down a long-time division rival - especially when that team is top seed in your division.
Just ask the Milpitas High Football team, who defeated Los Gatos High on Friday night at home 35-30, knocking the Wildcats out of first place in the De Anza Division.
The Trojans received big nights from seniors Jordan Lockett and Tony Sauceda, who helped lead Milpitas to its third straight win and improved the team’s record to 6-1 overall.
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Los Gatos headed into the night unbeaten this season and put Milpitas behind early with a touchdown run by senior Garret Zeiter.
The Trojans stormed back with a touchdown of their own. After getting good field position by a 45-yard kick return from senior Justin Lovett, Sauceda threw a dart to Lockett, who leaped over a Los Gatos player and strolled into the end zone to put Milpitas on the board and tie the game.
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In the second quarter, both seniors orchestrated another great play. After receiving the ball, Sauceda handed it off to Lockett, who ran to the right side and launched a pass to senior Rodney McKenzie, who was wide open down field for an easy touchdown.
The trick play put the Trojans up 14-10 and excited the large home crowd.
“The crowd was awesome tonight,” said senior Sammy Fanua. “They were so loud. They had us hyped up all night.”
With 25 seconds remaining in the half, the Trojans struck again when Sauceda floated a pass to Lockett in the corner of the end zone. After connecting on an extra point, Milpitas took a 21-10 lead heading into the locker room.
Known mainly for its punishing running game, Milpitas showed it could also throw the ball by scoring all three of their touchdowns in the first half on passing plays, all of which involved Lockett.
“Jordan had a big game for us tonight,” said Milpitas Coach Kelly King. “He’s been explosive all year and he just played really well tonight.”
Los Gatos got on the board first in the third quarter to cut the Trojans’ lead to four points, but Milpitas increased their lead on the next play with an 86-yard kick-off return touchdown by Lockett.
After receiving the ball deep in Trojan territory, Lockett ran the ball up the left side, bounced off a wall of players, then weaved his way up the field breaking tackles and receiving huge blocks from his teammates as he sprinted his way into the end zone.
Both teams traded points late in the game, as the two schools battled for the top spot in their division. But like so many other times this season, it was the Milpitas defense that came up big.
Los Gatos threatened late in the fourth quarter with the ball on Milpitas’ two-yard line and four downs to play with. After stopping the Wildcats twice at the goal line, the Trojans forced a fumble on quarterback Bryan Rose and took the ball over with 3:15 left to play.
“We didn’t want to let number one slip away,” said junior Vita Vea. “We gave it our all tonight and we played hard. Our defense finished up hard on that play.”
The Trojans are now 3-1 in league play and are tied with Mountain View, whom Milpitas lost to four weeks ago.
After the game, Coach King praised his quarterback’s performance, who gained a late first down to help seal the victory.
“The last run he made,” King said, “was all will and guts. He carried a guy on his back to earn that first down for us and that won us the game.”
Next week, the Trojans head to Saratoga High-Saratoga to take on the Falcons on the road.
