ATHERTON — Carter Shaw didn’t get many probabilities to indicate his playmaking abilities off on Saturday. However each time Sacred Coronary heart Prep calls his quantity, like they did late of their PAL/SCVAL Bay showdown with unbeaten Half Moon Bay, Shaw doesn’t lack confidence.
“When the ball’s within the air, I do know I’m getting it — that’s how it’s,” mentioned Shaw, the son of Stanford head coach David Shaw — who attended the primary half of Saturday afternoon’s sport earlier than his Stanford workforce’s 8 p.m. sport towards Oregon State. “I come down with one thing like 90% of these “50-50” balls.”
Shaw did simply that, taking Mitchell Taylor’s floated go away from a Half Moon Bay defender for a 21-yard landing with 4:06 left that put Sacred Coronary heart Prep up for good of their 17-7 PAL/SCVAL Bay Division win in Atherton on Saturday. It was one among solely two completions on the day for the Gators, however they’ll take that one catch for the 6-foot-3, 185-pound receiver and cornerback anytime.
“He’s a man that may win 1-on-1,” Sacred Coronary heart Prep coach Mark Grieb mentioned of Shaw, rated as a three-star by 247 Sports activities. “I believe it’s only a matter of getting in sync and giving him a chance to make performs. And you realize, once we wanted it, he got here up large. I used to be actually proud of him and the best way he performed on either side of the ball.
“For him to go assault the ball, that was an enormous play within the sport.”
It began as a defensive battle, with neither workforce scoring within the first half regardless of some redzone journeys. Half Moon Bay had the higher probabilities, lacking a 37-yard subject purpose and getting contained in the Gator 10 on the waning moments of the half, however unable to attain.
“ soccer sport between two scrappy groups that overachieve, and we ended up on the unhealthy facet of it,” Half Moon Bay coach Keith Holden mentioned. “We had some redzone possessions the place we got here up with nothing and that hurts. However you tip your cap to these guys as a result of they play good [defense] and did what they needed to do.”
Halfway by the third quarter, Half Moon Bay was driving in Gator territory when quarterback Liam Harrington’s go was tipped by Anthony Noto and intercepted by Andrew Rocha, who raced all the best way to the endzone for an untouched 64-yard choose six, a play that Grieb mentioned “modified all the things.”
“After I first tipped it, I assumed, ‘Please don’t fall into the opposite workforce’s arms,’” Noto mentioned. “After I noticed Rocha catch it, I simply circled and needed to go discover somebody to dam.”
When he noticed Noto tip the ball, Rocha’s eyes had been “as large as saucers, after which to see him blocking for me, they received even greater.”
Half Moon Bay’s ground-and-pound, double-wing offense was in a position to construct some sturdy drives all afternoon. They answered the Gators’ landing proper again with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took practically eight minutes off the clock and was capped by Owen Miller 5-yard run.
However Sacred Coronary heart Prep’s operating sport was sturdy on the day too, even with function again Andrew Latu leaving the sport within the first half with a decrease physique harm. With Latu out, the Gators turned to Conrad Wilbur in his first sport again since tearing his ACL final yr within the Valparaiso Bowl.
Wilbur often performs linebacker on protection and mentioned he solely had three varsity carries earlier than this yr. However on what turned out to be the game-winning drive, Wilbur received the ball thrice and picked up 13, 12 and 10 yards to get first downs and arrange Shaw’s sensational rating.
“I used to be simply itching to hit somebody, to get on the market and play — I simply needed to play so unhealthy,” mentioned Wilbur, who didn’t begin however subbed in after Latu’s harm. “It’s been a yr since I’ve placed on pads. First sport again, I needed to come out firing.”
For the man Shaw referred to as “probably the most slept-on participant on the workforce,” his teammates clearly cherished simply seeing Wilbur again on the sphere. However they may also take Wilbur setting some key lead blocks for Notu and choose up large runs to assist win the sport, too.
“It was tremendous inspiring simply to see him go well with up for follow,” Rocha mentioned. “That’s a man who you realize has needed it for the previous yr. Simply to see him get on the market and have as large of an impression as he did, he’s actually, actually inspiring and a testomony to the spirit of this workforce.”
Notu added, “I’m so blissful he’s again. Me and him have been pals perpetually. In follow, he was tossing a few of the youngsters — he actually couldn’t management himself as a result of he was so blissful to be again.”
Half Moon Bay (5-1, 1-1) will return to Atherton subsequent week for a 3 p.m. Friday sport at Menlo Faculty. In the meantime, Sacred Coronary heart Prep (5-1, 1-0) will head as much as play at Burlingame at 7 p.m.
After a season-opening defeat at Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral, the Gators have gained all 4 video games at residence and have held their opponents to precisely seven factors after they come to Atherton. Doing this regardless of dropping key gamers throughout video games has helped construct resolve on the Sacred Coronary heart Prep sideline.
“We’re simply trying to make performs, preserve rolling by groups,” Shaw mentioned. “I belief my o-line, I belief my operating backs — we had been all the way down to our third-string operating backs, and for them to have the ability to drive down the sphere, that simply reveals how good they’re.”
Grieb added, “Our protection has been stable all yr lengthy, and so they stepped up and made performs. … We’ve received guys banged up, so guys needed to step in and play that haven’t been enjoying as a lot, however I assumed these guys that got here within the sport and performed did an incredible job.”