For the record, the 14th-seeded Analy Tigers dropped a 17-3
decision to third-seeded Miramonte in the opening round of the
Div.-3 NCS playoff on Friday night. What the box-score doesn’t show
however is the large measure of respect that Analy gained in a
gritty, hard-nosed performance.
The Tigers gave the host Matadors a tremendous battle for the
first 40-plus minutes of the game before a couple of mistakes
spoiled a spirited upset bid. Analy finished a rollercoaster
season with a final record of 5-6.
“We didn’t finish the game quite the way we wanted to, but
overall we played a pretty good game,” said Analy head coach Dan
Bourdon. “The steady rain made it tough to throw the ball, but I
thought our offensive line played its best game of the season.”
Tiger “D” digs in
The Analy defensive unit deserves special recognition in this
one, holding Miramonte’s talented junior quarterback Matt Anderson
in check for much of the game.
The Matadors drew first blood in the opening quarter, converting
a 27-yard field goal to grab a 3-0 lead at the end of one. The
Tigers answered in the second period, as kicker Omar Galvan nailed
a 31-yard field goal to knot the contest at 3-3 at the half.
The game hung in the balance deadlocked at three-apiece until
late in the fourth quarter, before a shanked Analy punt and a lost
fumble led directly to a pair of cheap Miramonte touchdowns. The
Matador defense held in the waning minutes and they escaped with a
17-3 win.
Analy quarterback Jake Zanutto wrapped up a solid junior
campaign with 14 completions on 27 passing attempts for 106 yards.
Leading ground-gainers were seniors Cooper Maloney (16-83 yards),
and Issak Olsen (1-13 yards). Top receivers included sophomore
Aaron Maher (9-78 yards), Mathias (3-15 yards), and Mark Adams (1-8
yards).
Leading defenders were Maloney (7 tackles, 2 assists), Olsen (4,
6), Tanner Fox (4, 3), Sean Benfield (3, 3), James Toliver (2, 4),
Jimmy Pitkin (2, 3, sack), Dallas Hamilton (2, 5), Russell-Garcia
(2, 3), Dylan Anderson (1, 3), Adams (1, 3), Matt Anderson (1, 3),
Julian Titus-Patino (2 assists), and Augie Houlemard (assist).
