DANVILLE — Campolindo coach Kevin Macy didn’t need a crystal ball to know that Friday night’s game against Monte Vista would come down to which team would win the fourth quarter.
He echoed the message to his players throughout the week. He let them know when the Cougars were down seven at halftime.
And when the fourth quarter finally came, his team was ready.
Powered by inspired play in the second half, Campolindo came back to beat Monte Vista on the road 28-21 win to remain undefeated through six games.
“We came in knowing that this was going to be a setting where we had to make big plays,” Macy said. “We preached that we had to make it a fourth-quarter game. We knew that we weren’t just going to run them off the field. They had a lot of kids that go both ways and so do we. But we had to face those kids and have the passion to play in the fourth quarter.”
Quarterback Reid Habas completed 16-of-23 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Micah Parker rushed for 61 of Campolindo’s 132 rushing yards.
After giving up 21 first-half points, the Cougars did not allow Monte Vista to reach the end zone in the final two quarters.
“I think tonight was a statement win,” Habas said. “We knew we had to fight and we put our faith in our coaches. They’ve done this a long time.”
Down 21-14 at halftime, Campolindo needed to take back the momentum.
The Cougars easily drove into Monte Vista territory on their opening drive of the second half. Campolindo capped off the eight-play sequence when Everett Zellmer reached up over two defenders and came down with a 19-yard touchdown in the right corner of the end zone to tie the game early in the third quarter.
On Monte Vista’s next possession, Campolindo forced a three-and-out. A muffed snap forced Monte Vista’s punter into a rushed punt and Campolindo took over on Monte Vista’s 38-yard-line.
The Cougars pounced on the opportunity to take the lead.
Campolondo only needed five plays to get within striking distance of the end zone. Habas threw his third touchdown of the game after he found Sean Parker on an out route from 10 yards away to give Campolindo a 28-21 lead at the 1:31 mark of the third quarter.
In the final period, it was Campolindo’s defense that stepped up.
In the first half, Monte Vista running back Henry Lasker was unstoppable as he totaled 140 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Mustangs used a counter play to the left side that worked with great efficiency as Lasker was able to cut back and make defenders miss in the open field.
But in the final 24 minutes, Lasker had just 15 yards on the ground. Macy said he moved San Diego State commit Crosby Kelly from edge to tackle to clog up the gaps where Lasker would make his move.
“As they kept running the play, we just got more familiar with it for sure,” Kelly said.
Monte Vista had one last chance to tie or take the lead late, and the home team looked poised to do so.
The Mustangs drove into Campolindo’s side of the 50 and converted multiple fourth downs to continue their drive. But on a crucial fourth-and-five, Campolindo forced an incomplete pass and took over with just under two minutes left to ice the game.
It was a tale of two halves for Monte Vista, which looked unstoppable through the first two quarters.
Monte Vista scored 14 unanswered points in the first half after Campolindo put the game’s first points on the board.
The Mustangs went up just before halftime after Ondricek escaped from a sea of Campolindo defenders and dove into the end zone to give Monte Vista a halftime lead.
But the Danville school couldn’t keep its momentum going as its offense mostly stayed stagnant.
“We kept shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties,” Monte Vista coach Joe Wingert. “And we’re a run heavy, play action offense, so it made it really hard.”
The Moraga school is off to its best start since the 2022 season. That year, the Cougars went undefeated in the regular season and made an appearance in the North Coast Section Division II title game.
For Campolindo, the key to this year’s success has been showing consistent effort through each game.
“We’re not underestimating our opponents,” Kelly said. “Even if it’s not a great team that’s going to give us a game like tonight, we’re still thinking of it as a stepping stone to prepare us for the next games and the future games in the season.”
