Sports

FOOTBALL: Valley Blasts Serra in WCAL Opener

Visiting Padres fall 52-23 to loaded Valley Christian, Marshall delivers sensational performance.

The Score: Valley Christian 52, Serra 23

The Star: Valley Christian's Byron Marshall put on a dazzling show in Saturday night's West Catholic Athletic League opener. The gifted junior's four-touchdown masterpiece included two long punt returns for scores and 143 yards on 14 rushes.

The Turning Point: Marshall's first punt-return TD. Trailing 17-3 midway through the second quarter, visiting Serra went three-and-out and then saw Marshall escape several would-be tacklers down the right sideline in a spectacular 63-yard touchdown that staked the Warriors to a 21-point lead.

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The Quote: "He's in the SEC already."  -- Valley Christian coach Mike Machado, joking with Byron Marshall's father in a light-hearted moment after Saturday's game about the star's collegiate recruiting.

What's Next? Serra looks to even its WCAL record at 1-1 in its visit to Sacred Heart Cathedral on Oct. 9. The teams meet at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco at 2:30 p.m.

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The Bottom Line: It didn't take long for Serra and the packed house on the San Jose hilltop to see why Valley Christian and star junior Byron Marshall have drawn such high praise in the early season. The bright side? Serra's own standout junior – Erich Wilson – delivered a head-turning performance with 144 rushing yards and a fabulous 46-yard TD reception on a short pass.

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When the Serra High football team opened its 2010 season with a 45-7 defeat to De La Salle on Sept. 4, the quick conclusion was that De La Salle had returned to elite national status. And it was difficult to gauge just what type of team Serra had.

After Serra suffered a 52-23 loss at Valley Christian in a West Catholic Athletic League opener on Saturday night, the Padres again attempted to make sense of how their talented team could lose by such an eye-popping margin.

Asked whether Serra's two defeats – and the bundles of points allowed in those games – were largely due to the opponents' extreme talent level, Padres coach Patrick Walsh partially agreed.

"De La Salle is (an outlier)," Walsh said, "and Valley is becoming that this year. They certainly have an outlier player."

That player – Valley Christian junior Byron Marshall – delivered a sensational, four-touchdown performance that showed why he is already a coveted recruit. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder burned Serra with a pair of long punt returns for touchdowns and totaled 143 yards and two scores on his 14 carries.

Valley Christian (4-0, 1-0 WCAL) had Serra (2-2, 0-1) on its heels from the start, marching 80 yards on eight plays – including a 30-yard Marshall run – to take a quick lead on its standout  running back's five-yard score.

Then Serra fumbled on its third play, and Valley Christian's Joseph Jahn scooped up the ball and raced into the end zone from 25 yards out to put the visitors in a 14-0 hole just over five minutes into the game.

With Serra trailing 17-3 midway through the second quarter, the Warriors forced a three-and-out, which set up Marshall's most dazzling play.

After fielding the ensuing punt, Marshall (143 yards, 14 carries) ran into a traffic jam on the right sideline, but his patience and field awareness paid off. He deftly sliced through the crowd and then cut back toward the middle, leaving would-be tacklers flailing as he accelerated to polish off a 63-yard touchdown.

"My eyes get big," Marshall said of his thoughts when surveying the open field on a punt return. "I was just waiting. I didn't know which way to go."

Then Marshall, who was the WCAL's Sophomore of the Year and Co-Utility Player of the Year in 2009, scored on a 10-yard run to make it 31-3 at halftime.

Serra allowed its most points since a 61-13 loss at De La Salle in 2005 – a span of 59 games.

Valley Christian quarterback Zach Vaiana completed his first eight passes and finished 9-of-10 passing for 129 yards and one touchdown. Brian Fobbs totaled 118 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

Serra's own standout junior running back, Erich Wilson, also had several highlight-reel plays. He finished with 144 yards and one touchdown on 15 rushes, and flashed Houdini moves of his own by turning a dump pass from Andy McAlindon into a 46-yard touchdown reception to complete the scoring.

Wilson, whose 69-yard run early in the third quarter was the game's longest play from scrimmage, pulled even with Alex Bravo for the team lead with five touchdowns. Bravo had a one-yard TD run.

Serra lost its third straight game against the Warriors and coach Mike Machado.

"This very well could be one of his best teams," Walsh said of the program that won four straight Central Coast Section titles from 2002-05. "I think everyone right now is chasing Valley."

Walsh added that he sees professional potential in Marshall, who capped his night with a 71-yard TD on a fourth-quarter punt return.

 "It's kind of possible he'll play on Sundays," the Serra coach said. "You're talking about one of the best players to come through this league and this area."

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Valley Christian 52, Serra 23

S – 3 0 14 6 -- 23

V – 14 17 7 14 – 52

V – Marshall 5 run (Ramirez kick)

V – Jahn 25 fumble return (Ramirez kick)

S – Toms 31 FG

V – Ramirez 35 FG

V – Marshall 63 punt return (Ramirez kick)

V – Marshall 22 run (Ramirez kick)

S – Wilson 6 run (Toms kick)

V – Jones 7 run (Ramirez kick)

S – Bravo 1 run (Toms kick)

V – Fobbs 27 pass from Vaiana (Ramirez kick)

V – Marshall 71 punt return (Ramirez kick)

S – Wilson 46 pass from McAlindon (run failed)

RUSHING:  S: Bravo 10-37, McAlindon 5-8, Wilson 15-144, Tuitavake 1-minus-4, Erdle 1-2, Timko 1-17, team 1-minus-16. Totals: 34-188.  VC: Marshall 14-143, Lawson 5-52, Jones 9-56, Vaiana 4-minus-10, Martinez 2-2, Sacci 3-9, team 2-5. Totals: 39-257.

PASSING:  S: McAlindon 4-9-0-78.  VC: Vaiana 9-10-0-129.

RECEIVING:  S: Wilson 2-67, Bravo 2-11.  VC: Fobbs 7-118, Marshall 2-11.

FUMBLES/LOST:  S 4/2.  VC 1/0.

RECORDS:  Serra 2-2, 0-1 WCAL.  Valley Christian 4-0, 1-0.


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