Amador Valley’s offense didn’t do a lot celebrating after scoring touchdowns within the Dons’ 44-33 victory over McClymonds within the NorCal 3-AA championship recreation final weekend.
They have been too busy preparing for his or her two-point conversion try. Coach Danny Jones’ boys don’t hesitate for even a second, and why ought to they?
The hyper-aggressive philosophy that has helped propel the Pleasanton faculty into Friday’s CIF 3-AA championship matchup towards Frontier-Bakersfield at Lengthy Seashore Metropolis Faculty is rooted in chilly, laborious statistics.
Why settle for {that a} landing will most likely flip into seven factors, when the numbers indicated that going for 2 was the proper resolution?
“We looked it up and by Week Three, we were up to an 80% success rate or so,” Jones informed the Bay Space Information Group after the NorCal recreation.
Receiver Aidan Foley stated that the quantity has gone down solely barely because the yr progressed, the crew changing on 47 of its 65 touchdowns.
The tactic was borne out of necessity after the crew’s kicker was harm to begin the yr. However now, the Dons are all-in on the two-or-nothing technique that has helped AV rating at the very least 30 factors in every of its final 5 video games.
“When he told us the percentage, that we were up to like a 75% success rate, everyone was like, ‘Let’s keep doing this and keep going with it,’” Foley stated.
Amador Valley (10-4) defeated Las Lomas, Windsor and Bishop O’Dowd to seize the North Coast Part Division II title, after which took down perennial Oakland powerhouse McClymonds to comply with up this system’s first-ever part crown with a NorCal title.
“It’s for all of the groups which have come earlier than, and all of the gamers and households who couldn’t get this chance,” stated Jones, who has coached at Amador for 9 years. “It’s for all of those guys.”
Amador Valley quarterback Tristan Tia (3) has been the important thing to the Dons explosive offense (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Space Information Group)
The largest purpose for Amador’s success is the play of its elite dual-threat quarterback Tristan Tia, an Oregon State commit who has thrown for 3,758 yards, run for 871 yards and accounted for 50 touchdowns.
When the Dons want an enormous play, he’s come up large as a rule with both a vital run or an correct throw. On two-point conversions, a sneak from the 6-foot-3 Tia is an nearly automated two factors.
“I’m going with the flow, and I’m doing what I know I can do. I know I’ve put in the work for this, so it’s great seeing the hard work help us flourish on the field,” Tia stated.
Although Tia, receiver Anthony Harrington and the explosive passing recreation get many of the publicity, Amador additionally has a reliable run recreation.
Ismael Duenas has rushed for 1,067 yards, going over 100 yards in every of his previous 5 video games. The 200-pound bruiser is adept at gashing gentle packing containers which might be petrified of Tia’s big-arm-making performs within the air.
“Ish is a great kid and he freaking runs really, really hard,” Jones stated. “Whether we run the rock or throw the ball, we can be effective either way. ”
Amador’s closing opponent can be formidable. Frontier, which romped previous Murrieta Mesa 39-7 within the SoCal regional, has a protection led by robust pass-rushers Logan Slaton and LJ Riley.
However with the Dons’ white-hot offense and mathematically-sound assault firing on all cylinders coming into Friday’s championship recreation, Frontier may have bother determining an answer.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who can stop us,” Foley stated. “You know Tristan provides so much versatility because he can run, he can throw, and then we have Ish who can just run downhill.”
