SAN JOSE — In a game of punch and counterpunch, Live Oak junior Gage Jones seemed to produce knockout blow after knockout blow on Thursday, only for Branham to counter with shots of its own.
Finally, in a football game in which Jones rushed for 304 yards and scored five touchdowns, the deciding blow seemed almost anticlimactic – a seven-yarder for a first down that allowed the visiting Acorns to run out the clock in a wild 52-46 victory.
“We knew coming in, it would be a dogfight,” Jones said. “When my team needs me most, I know how to turn on the gas. And big props to the O-line. They balled out.”
The victory kept Live Oak (7-1 overall) in a second-place tie with Lincoln at 2-1 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division, trailing only Santa Teresa (8-0, 3-0). Branham dropped to fourth in the six-team circuit at 1-2 (5-3).
Jones, who entered the game as the Central Coast Section’s leading rusher and 11th in the state, carried 42 times and never seemed to tire. Live Oak’s final three touchdowns all came from Jones, on a 1-yard run, 82-yard kickoff return, and 35-yard run. Each pushed the Acorns to a double-digit lead after the quick-strike Branham offense closed within a score.
The 5-foot-7, 165-pounder finished with 423 all-purpose yards on 47 touches. Jones has 1,695 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns this season, and averages 277 all-purpose yards.
“I grew up playing football since I was five years old,” Jones said. “I’ve always been undersized. It’s never been a thing to me. I could be 6-2 and 200 pounds, but it’s never bothered me. I know how to work around that.
“Throughout the game, I’ll look at the film and I’ll see what our strengths and weaknesses are. I realized that the ‘backers were blitzing out quite hard. I knew if I was able to get past that second line of defense, it’s either a touchdown or a 40-yard gain. That’s how I succeed. I find every player’s weakness on that defense and learn what my strengths are against that team.”
Branham countered with playmakers of its own. Michael Murphy exceeded 1,000 season rushing yards by gaining 231 on 26 carries. And he scored four touchdowns: on runs of 8, 72, and 4 yards, and on a 52-yard catch.
“The ‘A’ league this year is stacked,” Branham coach Tommy McMahon said. “Every team has got an elite running back. Every week, you’re going to have two stars going at it.”
With 1:35 left, Branham made its final charge, scoring on a 20-yard catch and run by receiver Brayden Hodges, who twice made cuts that sent Acorn defenders flailing on the play. It came three plays after Hodges outleaped and outwrestled a defender for the ball on a 38-yard pass from Andrew Ho.
Hodges, the Mount Hamilton receiving yards leader entering the game, had six catches for 116 yards. Ho completed 11 of 18 for 272 yards, passed for three touchdowns and ran for another.
“It was who was going to stop who first,” McMahon said.
It turned out the game’s crucial stops came in the second quarter. With Branham up, 14-10, Live Oak’s Royce Mendonca and Messiah Luna sacked Ho on consecutive plays to force a punt. On Branham’s next series, Mendonca came through again, with a third-down sack. Live Oak scored on each ensuing possession to take a 24-14 lead it would not relinquish.
But the game truly belonged to Jones. Live Oak uses a trap blocking scheme to take advantage of his ability to find holes. Defenses must react to his quickness or find themselves looking at his back.
“He’s not the tallest in stature, but, man, he runs with a lot of might,” Live Oak coach Mike Gemo said. “He doesn’t go down. He kept telling us, ‘Keep giving me the ball. I’ll get you the first downs.’ And, he did.”
Said Branham coach McMahon, “The one thing I was super impressed with is how patient he was. Even if we do a good job initially, squeezing the gap, he still finds a way to reopen it with a little jump cut. His patience separates him over everything, honestly.
“There are a lot of guys that are small that play running back, but there are not a lot of guys who are patient, small, run hard, and finish runs. Gage did a hell of a job of that. Nothing but respect for him. He’s a great player.”
