Leal, Cristobal lift Gregori to second-half surge over Modesto

Gregori High running back Adrian Leal wears jersey No. 1, while backfield mate Tony Cristobal wears No. 2.

That seems apropos, since they are most decidedly the Jaguars’ 1-2 punch.

Leal and Cristobal delivered the knockout blow in a 21-14 Modesto Metro Conference victory over Modesto on Friday at Chuck Hughes Stadium, combining for 240 yards – 171 coming in the second half – as the Gregori overcame a two-score deficit at halftime.

The Jaguars improve to 7-2 for the season and 4-1 in the MMC, setting up a winner-take-all matchup with Downey next week for the league’s No. 1 playoff seed.

Downey, with a bye Friday night, wrapped up at least a share of the MMC crown – the fifth consecutive season it’s won at least a portion of the title – with a 26-6 win over the Panthers last week.

“Leal and Cristobal, those are two seniors and they’ve grinded with this program for four years,” said Jaguars head coach Jason McCoy, who called their numbers on 30 of the team’s 34 second-half plays, excluding the kneel-down with 2 seconds left. “It was an adjustment we made: get those guys the ball.”

Gregori, essentially, called one of two plays in the second half: Give the Ball to Leal or Give the Ball to Cristobal.

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“I’ve been ready all season,” said Tony Cristobal of the additional workload. “I’ve been waiting for those types of carries all year.”

Cristobal rushed for 92 yards on 20 carries, 12 of those carries coming in the second half.

“Oh, yeah, I was ready for it,” said Leal, who rushed for 148 yards on 24 carries, with 17 carries and 108 yards coming after halftime. “We saw an opportunity and we took it.”

Meanwhile, Gregori’s defense kept grinding away, despite being down 14-0 at the break.

“We felt we played a good first half,” said McCoy. “Just a couple of big plays (by Modesto).”

The first of those big plays was a 6-yard TD pass from R.J. Berumen to Ryan Henriques on fourth-and-goal. The Jaguars nearly sacked Berumen, who was flushed from the pocket but found Henriques, who broke about slithered his way into the end zone.

Late in the second quarter, Gregori’s Lakari Benjamin fumbled (the ball appeared to come loose after he hit the ground) after gaining 13 to Modesto’s 37. Skye Scacutto scooped up the ball and returned it to the 11.

Two plays later, Zaire Eugene cashed in from the 3 and the Panthers were up 14-0.

Modesto very nearly made it a three-touchdown lead when Gregori turned the ball over on the ensuing kickoff, but the Jags dodged a bullet when the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.

“Our defense just persevered,” said McCoy. “Persevering, not giving up and just grinding.”

On the Jaguars’ first possession of the second half, quarterback Joel Sotelo slightly underthrew Leal, who had a step on the safety. But Trae Nichols timed his leap perfectly and came down with the ball.

That would be Gregori’s second to last pass of the contest.

After Modesto went three-and-out, Leal broke free for a 34-yard score to halve the deficit with 2:53 to play in the third.

Another three-and-out by the Panthers gave Gregori the ball at its own 29 and, 13 plays later, the Jags threw their last pass of the night, a 12-yard strike from Sotelo to Gabe Sanchez that made it one-point game.

Jose Alvarez’s PAT knotted the score at 14.

After the kickoff, Modesto fumbled on its next play from scrimmage and Peter Garcia recovered on the Panthers’ 24. Leal scored the eventual game-winner when he busted in from 4.

Modesto had more than 4 minutes with which to work as it aimed for the tying score, but Jace Tessaro picked off his second pass of the contest with 3:25 to play.

Gregori turned over the ball on down at the Panthers’ 8 with 32 ticks remaining, and Tessaro nearly had a third pick, but the referee ruled he trapped it.

“I’m pretty sure I had that one,” said Tessaro, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior.

It didn’t matter. On the next play, Evan Camarena intercepted a pass with 2 seconds left on the clock.

Though Modesto now has no path to the MMC title, it remains a virtual lock for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs by virtue of its six wins. Should the Panthers win next week, and should Gregori lose, it would set up a three-way tie for second place in the MMC.

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 11:38 PM with the headline "Leal, Cristobal lift Gregori to second-half surge over Modesto."