CCS Division III playoffs: Carmel falls to Sacred Heart Prep in shootout
MONTEREY — With the exception of it being in the opposite end zone, the situation was eerily similar to last season in the playoffs for Carmel High, when it needed a stop on a two-point conversion on the very same field to keep its season alive.
And the Padres defense rose to the occasion, stopping Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton. Well, at least initially. A flag was thrown for defensive pass interference, moving the ball up a yard.
This time, the Gators converted with 1:21 left, then turned to their defense for a turnover to catapult them to a wild 49-48 win over Carmel Friday in the Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinals at Monterey Peninsula College.
“There was a flag,” Carmel coach Golden Anderson said. “We didn’t see it from our vantage point. We thought it was clean. On the second attempt, the guy made a diving catch to get the two.”
Last year the Padres Simeon Brown (Idaho State) made a stop a yard short of the goal line with no time left on the clock in a 42-41 win over Acalanes to send them to the State Championships, in what ended up being a record-setting 15-0 season.
“The call isn’t the reason the game ended the way it did,” Anderson said. “We did things well and made some mistakes as coaches. It wasn’t the reason we lost. We take ownership for our mistakes.”
Bumped to the Gabilan Division this season after back-to-back Mission Division South titles, including a state championship last season, the Padres ran 15 new starters out on the field this past season in finishing 6-5.
“We had some rough games early,” Anderson said. “Our kids didn’t shy away from it. We had guys trying to earn spots. A lot of kids were starting for the first time. We would not have battled back like this earlier in the year.”
Coming out of the Peninsula Bay Division, which includes the likes of Los Gatos, defending CCS Division II champion Wilcox and Menlo-Atherton, the Gators are 5-1 outside division play.
The defending CCS Division IV champion Gators came into the game having dropped four of five league games, having scored just 41 points in their four losses.
“We knew the game would be close,” Anderson said. “That’s a defending section champion with a rich history. Surprisingly, it was a high-scoring game.”
One that appeared to favor the Padres, who never punted, scoring on seven of their 10 possessions, stopping only themselves with a pair of turnovers, including on their final drive.
“The kids went through a lot last week with uniformed people making uniformed statements about our kids,” said Anderson, who would not elaborate any further. “I’m proud of how they handled it and how they performed tonight.”
Giving up a pair of touchdowns on one-play drives in the first quarter put the Padres in a 21-7 hole before defensive adjustments slowed Sacred Heart Prep’s momentum.
What transpired was a career game for Matt Maxon, who rushed for five touchdowns and caught a touchdown for Carmel, with his touchdown catch late in the second quarter tying the game at 27.
“Matt represents everything about Carmel High,” Anderson said. “He plays multiple sports. It doesn’t matter what’s on the line. He goes and plays hard. He is a great example for the younger kids.”
Maxon, who signed his letter-of-intent on Thursday to pitch in 2027 for Stanford, also had an interception on defense, which led his 1-yard touchdown run out of the ‘Wildcat’, staking Carmel to a 34-27 lead.
The Gators countered every punch Carmel and Maxon threw at them, tying the game three times in the second half, including with 1:21 left in the game.
As dynamic as the Padres offense was throughout the game, 81 seconds on the clock seemed like more than enough time to move the ball downfield. Yet, a turnover on the first play enabled Sacred Heart Prep to run out the clock.
Maxon rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kaleb Herro late in the first half. He added three more rushing touchdowns in the second half, giving him 17 on the ground this season.
“We understand, based on the last two years, some folks felt we belong in the Gabilan,” Anderson said. “But we only had 13 seniors on the roster. What won’t show up in a stat is how much this group really improved.”
