The Foothill Falcons varsity football playoff run ended with a 10-7 home loss at the hands of the Pittsburg High Pirates in the North Coast Section Division 1 semifinals last Saturday.
“We played extremely tough against Pitt. I thought our guys battled hard all night,” Foothill head coach Matt Sweeney said. “Give credit to Pitt they made a few more plays than we did, but it was one hell of a game.”
The semifinal match-up proved to be a tough defensive battle, with all 17 points coming in the second quarter.
The visiting No. 3-seeded Pirates opened the scoring when quarterback Keith Walker connected with receiver Jordan Parker for a 29-yard touchdown. Pittsburg would then extend its lead to 10-0 with a short field goal.
The second-seeded Falcons got on the board late in the second quarter when running back Matt Gates took a short touch pass from quarterback Kyle Kearns 51 yards to the end zone, trimming the Pittsburg lead to three points.
But the score would remain 10-7, with neither team able to break through for points in the second half.
With the playoff loss Saturday, Foothill finished the 2014 season with a 9-3 overall record. Its only regular season defeats came Oct. 24 to De La Salle (56-21) and Nov. 7 against crosstown rival Amador Valley High (25-23).
The Falcons opened postseason play with a 54-8 drubbing of Antioch High in the sectional quarterfinals Nov. 21 after earning a first-round bye on the strength of an 8-2 regular season.
“In looking back at our season, we definitely competed and played extremely tough all year,” Sweeney said. “It was truly a great season that these guys should be extremely proud of. It was a great ride that the coaches got to be a part of.”
Pittsburg is set to face undefeated De La Salle for the sectional championship this Saturday at Dublin High School. Top-seeded De La Salle knocked off No. 4 seed California High 45-17 in their semifinal last Friday.
