BRENTWOOD – When Clayton Valley senior quarterback Tyson Lovett left the game with an injury late in the second quarter of Friday’s game against Liberty, the Ugly Eagles didn’t panic.
The East Bay school rallied around freshman quarterback Javale Jones who led Clayton Valley on a 10-play, 78-yard game-winning drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Logan Knapp to beat Liberty 21-17 on the road.
“For a freshman, I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Clayton Valley head coach Nick Tisa. “He only got 40%, maybe even 30%, of the reps during the week. But he mentally prepares like he’s going in at any point.
“We talk about next man up and that just affirms what we do here at Clayton Valley.”
Clayton Valley’s Logan Knapp (7) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown against Liberty in the fourth quarter of a high school football game in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Clayton Valley would go onto defeat Liberty 21-17. (Photo by Anda Chu)
In essentially two quarters of play, Jones completed 4 of 6 passes for 45 yards and a score while adding 18 yards rushing.
“It was my time to shine,” Jones said. “I had to step up for Tyson when he went down and get this win.”
Star Liberty running back Jaxon Bell scored his two touchdowns in the first half – a 50-yard scoring grab and 39-yard sideline burst to the house – to give Liberty a 14-6 lead at halftime.
The Brentwood school got the ball to start the third quarter, but Clayton Valley’s defense forced a crucial three-and-out to stifle Liberty’s chance to extend its lead.
On the ensuing possession, Clayton Valley marched down the field in 12 plays that was capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by senior running back Justin Underwood.
“Man, I just saw a really big hole,” Underwood said of his touchdown run.
With the Ugly Eagles down two points, Clayton Valley trotted out what looked like its field goal unit.
But it was just a disguise as Clayton Valley shifted all but two players to the left sideline. When the ball was snapped, Logan Remington threw a screen pass to Knapp who ran behind a wall of blockers to convert the two-point try and tie the score at 14 with just under four minutes to go in the third.
But after a quiet start to the second half, Liberty found its rhythm again in the fourth quarter.
The Lions strung together a solid nine-play drive that ended with a 21-yard field goal by kicker Cody McGlasson that gave them a 17-14 with 3:36 left in the game.
Liberty kicker Ezekiel Carreno (60) and place holder Jaxon Bell (2) score a field goal against Clayton Valley in the fourth quarter of a high school football game in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Clayton Valley would go onto defeat Liberty 21-17. (Photo by Anda Chu)
With Clayton Valley needing a score, the offense turned to Jones to …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
