Del Oro beats Jesuit in triple-overtime playoff thriller, setting up rematch with Rocklin

When the game clock struck zero for the final time Saturday, the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II quarterfinal between Del Oro and Jesuit had Game of the Year written all over it.

It took three overtime periods to decide who would advance to face Rocklin in the D-II semifinals. But in the end, it was the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles from Loomis storming the field after a thrilling 40-34 victory over third-seeded Jesuit on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Carmichael.

If this is a preview of what the Sierra Foothill League might look like after Jesuit joins the section’s top conference in 2024, prep football fans are in for a treat.

“I think this is gonna be one of those epic Del Oro-Jesuit games with them coming into the (SFL) next year,” Del Oro coach Mike Maben said after the game. “I’m hoping that we might have a lot more of these games in the future. They’re a great team and a great program, and it’s gonna make the league even tougher.”

No single player stood out above another for either team Saturday. Every player on both sides of the ball left everything they had in a win-or-go-home game that was knotted at 27 apiece at the end of regulation.

Jesuit quarterback CJ Lee nearly won the game for the Marauders on the last play of regulation. With just 12 seconds remaining, Jesuit appeared as if it would just have Lee run out the clock on a simple run play from his own 20-yard line, but the Delta League MVP found a lane and broke free for a 60-yard run into Del Oro territory before being chased out of bounds as time expired.

“Adrenaline was racing,” Del Oro linebacker Talan Jewett said.

Del Oro running back Robert Garcia had the game-tying 1-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds to play and punched in the walk-off score in the third overtime from 2 yards out to lift the Golden Eagles. Garcia shared an emotional moment with his mother after the game.

“I’m a mama’s boy,” Garcia said. “We share a lot of emotions together and she tells me what I need to do, and she always keeps me in check. So, I give all of that credit to my mom and dad.”

Del Oro struck first as Caden Pinnick found Jackson Malbrough on a 31-yard fade route in the end zone with three minutes gone by in the game.

Pinnick, the two-time Sierra Foothill League Offensive Player of the Year, then used his legs on the following Del Oro drive, scoring on a short keeper to boost the Golden Eagles to a 14-0 lead at the 4:13 mark of the first.

Jesuit responded to a sloppy first drive, which featured three consecutive false start penalties, with a 64-yard connection from Lee to Caleb Dixon. That play made it 14-7 at the end of one. Dixon then picked off a Del Oro pass with the Golden Eagles inside the Jesuit red zone in the second quarter. Cooper Babb and Duncan Broughton followed with sacks late in the half to keep the score at 14-7 at the intermission.

Johnnie Brannon IV helped Jesuit tie the score at 14 with a 4-yard run on the Marauders’ first possession of the third quarter, and fellow backfield mate Kayden Flemming followed with a 52-yard burst to put Jesuit in front. Del Oro’s Victor Suarez blocked the extra-point try, however, to keep the score at 20-14.

The Golden Eagles evened the score at 20 when Pinnick found freshman Landon Parry, son of Del Oro offensive coordinator Josh Parry, for a 17-yard score. Parry was one of several players filling the void of injured Golden Eagle starters, including receiver Tommy Poe, running back Marcel Urquhart and defensive tackle Nixon Atwell.

“Getting guys who could step up and fill that role, I mean, the guys we lost are big guys,” Maben said. “But we had guys that stepped up and did what we needed to do.”

Jesuit’s Tyler Garcia blocked the ensuing extra point to keep the score knotted at 20. The Marauders responded with a 65-yard drive, capped by a 35-yard connection between Lee and Babb. Jesuit led 27-20 with three minutes left before Del Oro’s final regulation drive ended with Garcia’s game-tying run.

In the first overtime, Brannon scored on a 19-yard carry to hoist Jesuit to a 34-27 lead, but the Golden Eagles answered with a short score from Pinnick to force a second OT. Both teams went scoreless as Payton Coss recorded one of Jesuit’s 6 ½ sacks against Pinnick. Colin Davey’s 35-yard field goal attempt was wide right on Jesuit’s ensuing drive, forcing a third overtime.

With the game tied at 34, Del Oro stopped Jesuit on downs to retrieve possession. Pinnick hit Malbrough for a 38-yard pass down to the Jesuit 2-yard line, setting up Garcia’s game-winning touchdown and prompting the Golden Eagles to rush the field in celebration.

“This is definitely gonna be No. 1,” Garcia said of the memories he’s made at Del Oro. “You don’t get a lot of third overtime in the playoffs like this in this type of setting, so I’m forever grateful for that.”

Pinnick finished with 309 passing yards for Del Oro (8-4). Lee had 154 passing yards and 81 rushing yards for Jesuit (9-2).

Del Oro moves on to face Rocklin, a 42-7 winner over Downey of Modesto, in an SFL rematch in Friday’s semifinals. Rocklin beat Del Oro 35-14 on Oct. 13.

“We’re looking forward to a second opportunity to correct the things we made mistakes on (against Rocklin),” Maben said. “Rocklin’s got a great program. They’re well-coached and we look forward to every opportunity we can to play another playoff football game.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2023 at 6:42 PM.