Inderkum hands Woodcreek its first loss in big Capital Valley Conference game in Roseville

Inderkum head coach Reggie Harris had one emphatic message for his Tigers after a gritty battle Friday night.

“Failure is good.”

The postgame message of failure might sound strange, especially with Inderkum coming off the heels of a gutsy victory at Woodcreek in what many looked at as the potential championship-deciding game in the Capital Valley Conference. But Harris’ message struck more of a tone of not being afraid to fail in a big moment.

“All kids fear failure, so when they play, they play cautious instead of fearless,” Harris said. “Letting them know that failure is OK, it relieves the stress off their shoulders so they don’t play cautiously.”

So, on fourth down with under a minute to play, Inderkum threw all caution to the wind.

With Woodcreek driving in Tigers territory, quarterback Austin Katapodis launched a deep ball toward the end zone for a potential game-winning score, but Inderkum junior safety Lono Chouteau used every bit of his 6-foot-3 frame to leap and break up the pass, securing a 20-15 win to spoil Woodcreek’s homecoming.

“I was just thinking win,” Chouteau said. “I just wanted to win the game. I wanted it more than anybody.”

Chouteau also scored the go-ahead touchdown midway through the third quarter after Inderkum trailed 8-7 at the half. On third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, quarterback Ricky Cole hit Chouteau on an inside slant to put Inderkum in front 13-8 and build momentum for the Tigers.

“We just had to turn that intensity up after halftime and just be a better program,” said Chouteau, who finished with five catches for 40 yards.

Inderkum (5-1, 2-0 CVC) is a team that has consistently put up big numbers offensively thanks to the emergence of Cole, who also scored on a 32-yard keeper to extend the Tigers’ lead to 20-8 with 2:30 left in the third. But it was the defense that came up huge in its biggest test of the season to date.

Baron Taylor recovered a fumble for Inderkum on Woodcreek’s opening drive, leading to a 3-yard QB keeper from Cole to make it 7-0 Tigers midway through the first. Inderkum held the Timberwolves (4-1, 0-1 CVC) again on the ensuing drive after a big sack from Josiah Sharma, nicknamed “Sugar Bear” for his charming demeanor when the helmet comes off after games.

“I smile a lot,” Sharma said. “But try me and see what happens.”

Complementing Taylor and Sharma on the Inderkum defense, among others, were Kyle Gurganious, Christian Harris, Adon Baker, Nico Po’oi and Isaac Estacio, especially in slowing the normally potent Woodcreek run game.

“The difference was belief. Who believed in who?” Harris said. “There’s 11 movable parts. We’ve got one mission, but it’s all connected to trust and belief. That’s what we do.”

Inderkum might be one of the most successful football programs in the Sac-Joaquin Section without a blue banner to show for it. Former head coach Terry Stark led the Tigers to a 159-30 record with 12 league titles and 14 seasons of double-digit wins. Inderkum currently sits as the fourth-ranked team in Division I behind Folsom, Oak Ridge and Central Catholic of Modesto.

Woodcreek, which had allowed just over a touchdown per game entering Friday, put up a fight on its homecoming night. Down 7-0 in the second quarter, the Timberwolves capped a 56-yard drive with a 1-yard QB sneak from Katapodis. Woodcreek caught Inderkum off guard with a trick formation as Hakeem Anderson turned a two-point conversion into a one-point lead for Woodcreek that stood until halftime.

In the second half, Dylan Perrault blocked an extra-point attempt while Tanner Smith and Josiah De Barry played lockdown corner defense. After Anderson scored a 1-yard touchdown with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter to make it 20-15, Woodcreek recovered a critical fumble with 4:30 to play.

The Timberwolves drove into Inderkum territory before Chouteau’s big pass breakup sealed the win for the Tigers.

Woodcreek, coming off of its most successful football season and deepest playoff run in program history, currently ranks second behind Grant in the Division III bracket.

Next week, Woodcreek will travel to River Valley while Inderkum hosts Bella Vista.

This story was originally published September 22, 2023 at 11:41 PM.