Game of the Week: Palma stops two-point conversion in OT to beat Salinas
SALINAS — There have been bigger wins during Jeff Carnazzo’s record-setting run as a football coach — as recently as 2023 when a two-point conversion helped Palma save its season in a one-point win over Hollister.
Yet, none will likely match the emotion of not only defeating its biggest rival in overtime by stopping a two-point conversion, but ending a seven-year Gabilan Division losing streak to Salinas.
“It’s hard to quantify,” Carnazzo said. “It’s euphoric. Getting the pinao off my back was huge. This was the year we had to do it. We felt we were better than them.”
As players from the Chieftains sidelines charged onto the field, a celebration for the ages was warranted Friday as Alejandro Cervantes and Cesar Mercado stopped Salinas’ two-point attempt in overtime in a 42-41 win at Rabobank.
“The decision was made before we went to overtime,” Salinas coach Steve Zenk said. “I felt we had momentum. I considered going for two in regulation. It was more of a situational decision.”
Particularly after the Cowboys rallied from a 21-point second half deficit to tie the game with 15 seconds left when quarterback Michael Andrade connected with JP Perez from 18 yards out.
“I would have played it exactly the way Steve did,” Carnazzo said. “I would have played for the tie in regulation and gone for two if we had the second possession in overtime.”
In fact, had the Cowboys chosen to kick the extra point and force a second overtime, Carnazzo already had his mind made up that he would go for two if Palma had scored again.
“No question,” said Carnazzo, who went for two in his first season in the CCS Division I finals in Palma’s 15-14 win over Oak Grove in 2000. “Both teams had players cramping. It was an emotional and physical game. It was time to get it over with.”
Lost in all the emotion was the Chieftains are now 7-0, and locked in a tie for first in the Gabilan Division with Soquel, who they host in two weeks.
Palma could also be ticketed for the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs, as the top two teams from the Gabilan are often placed in the Open based on points.
“Our goal now is to try and get a top four seed in the Open,” Carnazzo said. “I told the kids it’s just one game. Lets not dump Gatorade over anyone’s head over one game. We don’t want any letdowns.”
Because the Cowboys three losses this year are to teams a combined 20-1, it opens the door for them to likely be the No. 1 seed in Division II if they run the table in their final three games.
“Sure, it hurts,” Zenk said. “But in the morning, the sun will come up and we’ll be hungry. Kids are resilient. I take the blame for not winning. That’s my privilege. My love for these kids is unconditional.”
For a brief moment, Salinas was in a celebratory mood when it thought it had converted the two-point conversion, having not heard the officials whistle blowing the play dead because Palma was offside.
“We were sky high and then we had to redo it,” Zenk said. “The officials said the play was whistled dead because it’s a dead-ball foul. I’ll have to look at the film.”
On the ensuing play, Izaak Hernandez took a handoff, only to run into former Palma teammates Mercado and Cervantes at the 1-yard line, ending the drama.
“To tell you the truth, it’s all a blur,” Carnazzo said. “The kids knew how big a game this was for us – for a lot of reasons that go beyond the rivalry. There was a lot of emotion after the game.”
Having spotted Salinas 14 points when Andrade tossed touchdown passes to Hovan Lusk and Robert Morales, the Chieftains answered behind the speed and shiftiness of tailback Eli Dukes.
Dukes, who has an offer on the table from Oregon State, showed why by rushing for 323 yards on 24 carries, triggering an assault of 35 straight unanswered points for the Chieftains.
Among the four-sport standouts four touchdowns runs, included 67 and 70-yard sprints, as Dukes now has nine touchdowns of 50 yards or longer this season, with Palma having 24 touchdowns of 35 yards or longer as a team.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder, who came into the game averaging over 15 yards each time he touched the ball, ran behind a wall of offensive linemen that included 6-7, 310-pound Josiah Castaneda.
Yet, in overtime, with the emphasis on containing Dukes and David Garcia, it was quarterback Patrick Driscoll going to the air and finding Chase Amaral for a touchdown.
“We took advantage of our slot receiver not being covered,” Carnazzo said. “We weren’t perfect. We butched a snap that gave them another possession with 1:49 left. If we get that first down, we’re taking a knee.”
Andrade had touchdown passes to four different receivers, throwing for 404 yards, with Jacob Robles catching 11 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, and Hovan Lusk finishing with six catches for 134 yards and a TD.
“In my nine years, this is one of the best teams in terms of improvement from the beginning to now,” Zenk said. “We had no idea who we were in Week 1. We know who we are today.”
