Manteca’s dream of a CIF state bowl intercepted by Menlo-Atherton

Gino Campiotti threw his head back, letting the rain provide cover for the tears welling up in his eyes.

Manteca High’s talented junior quarterback passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns, drawing comparisons to a legendary NFL gunslinger in a season-ending 49-21 loss to Menlo-Atherton.

“He reminds me of Brett Favre. He’s a bit of a gunslinger back there. A kid that will keep his eyes down field, slip out of tackles, and he’s got a big arm,” Menlo-Atherton coach Adhir Ravipati said. “I told him, ‘Keep working hard. You’re a junior and you have a lot of talent and ability, and good things can happen.’ ”

Just not Friday.

Campiotti’s first interceptions in nearly two months typified Manteca’s struggles in the CIF Northern California Division III-AA regional bowl. Unable to match the Bears’ size and speed at the line of scrimmage, the weight of the Buffaloes’ offense was thrust onto Campiotti’s shoulders.

It proved to be too much.

“This is heartbreaking,” Campiotti said.

For Manteca, the Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV champion, the regional bowl loss is its second in four seasons.

Coach Eric Reis praised his team’s fight and character against a bigger, stronger, faster opponent, but believes his talented junior class, led by Campiotti, will grow from NorCal experience.

“Our kids would not quit, but unfortunately tonight they were the better team. They won, for sure,” Reis said. “... I think our kids got a little taste of state playoffs and hopefully that’s something we want to work towards and win next time.”

Jordan Mims rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns and quarterback Aajon Johnson staked the Bears to a 28-point lead with back-to-back TDs to start the second half.

Menlo-Atherton (12-2) outgained the Buffaloes 409-80 on the ground, and the Bears’ defensive front harassed Campiotti throughout. He was sacked three times and rarely threw from a clean pocket, completing just 21 of his 39 passes.

“This is the best D-line we’ve seen by far,” Campiotti said. “They never quit. They never got tired. Every play, they came 100 miles per hour. They weren’t going to lose.”

Campiotti had gone six games without throwing an interception, rebounding from a season-worst performance in a loss to Central Catholic on Oct. 14. Campiotti was picked off three times in that game – the only interceptions he had thrown until Friday’s loss.

Both of Campiotti’s picks came with Manteca (12-2) desperately trying to keep pace with the Bears.

Trailing 21-7 in the second quarter, Manteca drove to the Menlo-Atherton 10, but came away emptyhanded.

Campiotti spied Jose Garcia (11 catches, 123 yards) in the corner of the end zone, but Spencer Corona jumped the route for his first interception.

Campiotti was later picked off in the fourth quarter, a turnover Mims flipped into a 3-yard touchdown.

Manteca had trouble containing the Bears’ option offense.

Mims scored on runs of 13, 31, 72 and 3 yards, confirming his place on most mid-major Division-I recruiting boards along the West Coast. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior holds scholarship offers from Eastern Washington, San Jose State, Fresno State, Idaho and Sacramento State, among others.

He had 143 rushing yards by halftime, displaying on-a-dime shiftiness and breakaway speed. More importantly, he created running lanes for pitch man, quarterback Aajon Johnson, who had 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He was also 7 of 15 for 67 yards and two interceptions.

Despite his struggles throwing the ball, Johnson proved to be Menlo-Atherton’s Superman.

Quite literally.

He broke off a 55-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half, tucking the ball on the option. The defense cheated toward Mim, creating a crease for Johnson, who went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season.

“They have some very good players, for sure,” Reis said. “Some slippery guys; a lot of speed. The second half we knew was going to be big and when they scored on that first play, it was like ‘Oh, my gosh, what a gut check.’ ”

After Manteca fumbled, Johnson leaped into the end zone from about the 4-yard line to make it 35-7 with 8:55 left in the third quarter. He looked like he might be forced out of bounds by a low tackle.

Instead, he took flight.

Manteca was victimized by Johnson’s best on the drive. He threw an 11-yard pass to move the Bears into the red zone, and then flipped what appeared to be a 13-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Johnson as he was tackled. The play was called back because of a false start.

Johnson called his own number of the next play, vaulting into the end zone for the highlight-reel score.

The rout was on.

Or was it?

Campiotti quickly moved the Buffaloes down the field, completing three straight passes. The final two went to junior Presley Keltner, including a 35-yard touchdown to make it 35-14.

Momentum was shifting.

Gerson Gomez picked off Johnson late in the third and Joel Olmos converted a fourth-and-5 to start the fourth. On the next play, Campiotti floated a 20-yard touchdown to Keltner to make it 35-21.

Keltner had three catches for 77 yards.

“All season, Keltner, in his mind, felt like a no. 2 guy behind Joel (Olmos) and Jose (Garcia). It kind of slowed him down,” Campiotti said. “He had a great year on JV last year. I talked to him a minute ago and we’re going to get to work.

“He showed something very special that a lot of guys don’t have – incredible heart. He wanted the ball.”

Safety Kyle Rachels kept the comeback alive with an opportunistic interception. Johnson zipped a pass into a receiver, who bobbled and pitched the ball into Rachels’ path.

The Buffaloes could do nothing with the possession, though, and slowly wilted beneath the pressure.

Campiotti completed just two of his final nine passes, sealing Manteca’s fate with his last pick.

“Those turnovers really sparked us. They were huge plays that were momentum-changers for a minute,” Campiotti said. “But when you play a team this good, momentum doesn’t last long. It can only take you so far.”

Menlo-Atherton will play Southern California champion Paraclete on Dec. 17.

This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 2:02 AM with the headline "Manteca’s dream of a CIF state bowl intercepted by Menlo-Atherton."