MORAGA — Jhadis Luckey swaggered up to the line of scrimmage, waving his left hand up and down as he inched closer his linemen. For that brief moment he was less of a running back and more of a conductor. Offenses typically quiet down their fans before big plans; Luckey wanted to hear his roar before putting the game on ice.
Behind Luckey’s two touchdowns, 127 rushing yards and game-saving catch on fourth-and-eight during the fourth, Clayton Valley narrowly defeated Campolindo 21-17 to advance to the North Coast Section Division II championship game.
The Ugly Eagles will play Monte Vista for the title next week.
“Our guys are resilient, man,” Clayton Valley head coach Nick Tisa said. “In January, had 70 kids come up for a meeting to play football. We lost 15 kids to transfers in the offseason. People just didn’t believe in me, didn’t believe in the vision, didn’t believe in the direction. These guys just stuck with us. Loyalty, brotherhood, commitment. Worked out all summer just doing gassers and it showed up.”
Campolindo was led offensively by junior quarterback Cayden Mulliken, who entered the game off the bench at halftime after the Cougars scored only three points in the first half. Mulliken didn’t throw for a touchdown — senior running back Micah Parker was responsible for both of Campolindo’s touchdowns — but completed 8-of-12 passes for 116 yards.
“It was a tough decision, but he’s the type that can stay in the pocket,” Macy said. “We had some plan to be ready to use him, so we just had to make the decision. It’s a tough one, it’s a hard one that we had to make. It did put some spark in the offense. We gave away a first half. You can’t give away a first half.”
Clayton Valley began the evening with a score on its first possession, a methodical 12-play, 51-yard drive that ended with Luckey bouncing to the outside for a 10-yard touchdown.
Following an exchange of punts, Clayton Valley opted to go for it on fourth-and-one at their own 28-yard line with about eight minutes left in the second. Luckey was met at the line of scrimmage, and the spot was so close that the referees brought out the chains.
Clayton Valley ended up about two inches short of a first down, and Campolindo had its best opportunity to score of the night. While the Cougars didn’t turn the turnover into a touchdown, senior Zach Tabibian knocked down a 34-yard field goal and trimmed Clayton Valley’s lead to 7-3.
Clayton Valley soon had its response courtesy of junior quarterback Mirza Mann. Following four straight runs by Luckey, Mann connected with Luckey for a six-yard gain before floating a 27-yard pass to Jadyn Richards for a touchdown, increasing the Ugly Eagles’ lead to 14-3.
That 11-point halftime lead felt far greater due to Campolindo’s offensive struggles, but the Cougars instantly found their rhythm when Mulliken entered the ballgame for the third quarter.
On his fourth play from scrimmage, Mulliken connected on a 39-yard deep ball with senior wide receiver Everett Zellmer. It was Campolindo’s most explosive play of the evening, and it set the table for a possession that ended with Parker finding the end zone and cutting Clayton Valley’s lead to 14-10.
Clayton Valley maintained that four-point lead after three quarters, but Mulliken orchestrated another touchdown drive on Campolindo’s first possession of the fourth, one that again ended in a short score from Parker. With seven-and-a-half remaining in regulaion, Campolindo led Clayton Valley 17-14 and held its first lead of the night.
With that score, the stage was set for Luckey’s most dominant stretch of the night.
Clayton Valley began the following possession on its own 37-yard line but methodically marched up to Campolindo’s 46-yard line. On fourth-and-eight with the season on the line, Mann zipped a pass over the middle of the field for Luckey. Despite being heavily contested, Luckey maintained possession for a 21-yard gain that kept the chains moving.
From there, Luckey handled the rest. Mann handed the ball off to Luckey on four straight plays, the last of which resulted in a two-yard go-ahead touchdown. Campolindo got the ball back with about 1:45 remaining in the fourth, but sophomore Darris Glenn put the game on ice with an interception.
“Like I always say, big time players make big time plays in big time games,” Luckey said of the catch. “I felt like the team needed me right there in that moment. With all the training I’ve had in the past, I was just really eyeing in on the ball and making sure I had the catch and tucking it in, coming down with the ball securely. Whatever I have to do put the team on my back, that’s what I’m going to do.”
