Sierra savors second chance, reaches program’s first section final

Counted out. Left for dead. Lucky to be invited to the dance.

Coach Jeff Harbison and his Sierra High football team have heard it all over the last few weeks.

Well, guess who’s still dancing?

The No. 3 Timberwolves clinched the program’s first section finals appearance on Friday evening with a 34-20 victory over No. 2 Calaveras.

Senior Daniel Wyatt scored two touchdowns, including a momentum-stealing 82-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter after the Redskins tied the game on a 55-yard reception by Trevor Ramirez.

Sierra, one of six teams across all divisions to qualify for the postseason at 5-5, will play No. 4 Liberty Ranch on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Elk Grove High School.

Harbison said the victory was relished by Timberwolf players past and present. Three members of his coaching staff graduated from the 21-year-old Manteca campus.

“It was so rewarding, not only for the kids but for the alumni as well,” Harbison said. “People said we were out and our kids didn’t believe that. They didn’t listen to the naysayers and they came out and played football.”

The game finished with a flurry of touchdowns. Sierra outscored Calaveras 20-14 over the final 12 minutes.

Junior quarterback Mark Vicente and senior running back Mark Paule Jr. tacked on touchdown runs of 22 and 65 yards, respectively, for the Timberwolves.

Vicente also had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as Sierra led 14-7 at the break.

Wyatt’s kickoff return was the difference.

Calaveras tied the game at 14-14 on Ramirez’s 55-yard reception from Anthony Giangregorio in the fourth quarter. Ramirez slipped a few tackles down the sideline as Calaveras seized momentum.

The Redskins wouldn’t have it for long as Wyatt collected a bouncing ball and found a seam on the ensuing kickoff. Wyatt and teammates Enrique Jasso and Scott Teicheira will be playing for their second section title in eight months. All three were members of the basketball team, which celebrated its first-ever section title in March.

“Daniel has been clutch all season long,” Harbison said. “But when you look at it, it was truly a team effort tonight.”

Calaveras closed within 27-20 on Giangregorio’s 66-yard run, but Paule provided the death knell with a 65-yard jaunt of his own.

Sierra knows nothing of its next opponent, which speaks to the wide-open nature of the Division IV bracket. Like the Timberwolves, Liberty Ranch has been counted out. The Hawks have won eight straight games after beginning the season 0-4.

On Friday, the scrap-pile stars were the last ones standing.

“It was a celebratory night,” Harbison said. “These kids have been counted out. For them to be resilient as they are, let’s just say the celebration was on on the Calaveras field tonight ... and it continued on the bus ride home.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 5:23 AM with the headline "Sierra savors second chance, reaches program’s first section final."