Football: A game of inches -- M-A charges back, but falls inches short as Woodside stays undefeated Football: A game of inches -- M-A charges back, but falls inches short as Woodside stays undefeated (November 17, 2004)

Somewhat like its season, the game started badly for the host Menlo-Atherton Bears on Saturday, but they charged back in the second half to nearly catch the powerhouse Woodside Wildcats.

The regular-season-ending game came down to M-A's last series. With M-A down by 6, and with 2:49 left on the clock, M-A took over on its own 10. In a series of clutch passes, quarterback Clark Hagman brought the ball well into Woodside territory.

Then, with 33 seconds left, wide receiver David Vallarino caught a fourth-down pass and got out of bounds at the 36, near the first-down mark. But the measure came up short, and the ball was turned over to the Wildcats, who ran out the clock.

The final score on the non-league game: Woodside 28, M-A 22. With the victory, the Wildcats finished the regular season with 10-0 record and are the No. 1 seed in the CCS Medium School Division playoffs. The Wildcats face Evergreen Valley, 7-3, the No. 8 seed, at 7 p.m. Saturday, November 20, at Woodside. M-A finished 5-5 overall, and 4-3 in league play, and is not in the playoffs.
Near runaway

At first it appeared that Woodside would run away with the game as it has many times this season. By early in the second quarter, Woodside was up 21-0.

M-A, however, not only did not give up, but outscored Woodside 22-7 the rest of the game.

The comeback began late in the first half, when Woodside muffed a punt and M-A took over deep in Woodside territory. The series was capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Hagman to Vallarino with 40 seconds remaining in the half.

M-A defense repeatedly stopped Woodside in the second half, and took advantage of Woodside miscues, include a pass interference call in the third quarter that gave M-A a first-and-10 on the Woodside 3. M-A running back Jeremy Jordan carried it in for M-A's second score.

Woodside returned to the scoreboard in the third quarter with a 50-yard over-the-middle pass play from Julian Edelman to Spencer Garrison, who caught it one-handed and ran it in, to put Woodside up 28-13.

M-A then added 3 with a 39-yard field goal by Michael Jorgenson.

In the fourth quarter, M-A recovered a Woodside fumble near midfield and followed with a pass that Vallarino carried to Woodside's 18. A couple plays later, Tonga Mahafatau took it in from the 7, making it 28-22, the final score.

M-A held Woodside star running back Tyreece Jacks to 41 yards and no touchdowns.

Woodside quarterback Edelman completed 8 of 16 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for a 2-yard TD. Edelman completed two long TD passes to Garrison -- of 66 and 52 yards.

M-A's Hagman completed 18 of 33 passes for 234 yards. Eleven of those receptions were by Vallarino, who chalked up 162 yards.
PLAYOFFS

Woodside High, with a 10-0 record, is No. 1 seed in the CCS Medium School Division. The Wildcats will play Evergreen Valley, 7-3, the No. 8 seed, at 7 p.m. Saturday, November 20, at Woodside. M-A is not in the playoffs.

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