PALO ALTO – History is being written.
Two years after a 10-0 loss, the Gunn football team finished the regular season 10-0 with a 28-7 win over Jefferson on Thursday.
It was Gunn's first 10-0 season since 1971. With the win, the Titans captured the Peninsula Athletic League Lake Division championship and advanced to the Central Coast Section playoffs for the primary time since 2009.
Quite a turnaround. After that winless season in Dethrick Slocum's first 12 months as head coach, Gunn was 3-7 a 12 months ago and again this 12 months. Ten wins without defeat.
“It's more than gratifying, it's unbelievable,” said running back Yonatan Smolyar, who did the heavy lifting with 29 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown. “I was part of the team when it was 0-10, I was part of the team when it was 3-7. We're 10-0 going into the playoffs. We made history for the first time in 50 years. I’m just proud of everyone here.”
Smolyar's family got here here from Israel in 2018. His older brother Eitan was also a standout running back for the Titans.
“I had never seen football before,” Yonatan said. “I watched my brother score a touchdown in every game, so I wanted to carry on my family’s legacy. I wanted to be part of this team and I love it. I've played a bit of football, but football is new. This only exists in America.”
Gunn dominated the primary half together with his powerful running game. Quarterback JJ Racz began things off with a 57-yard scoring run on the third play of the sport. Sam Dellenbach scored on a 2-yard run after which Smolyar, who had 100 yards rushing at halftime, added a 12-yard run for a three-touchdown lead.
Racz accomplished just one pass in the sport, but he scored a 34-yard touchdown to Andre Lee within the third quarter, helping the Titans extend their result in 28-0.
Jefferson (7-3, 7-1) broke the shutout when Robert Saulny-Green, a transfer from Serra playing in only his second game for the Daly City school, hit Michael Slugher with a 33-yard pass within the fourth quarter. Touched touchdown pass.
Racz, a quarterback wearing No. 24, gained 82 yards on nine carries while Gunn ran the ball 54 times for 292 yards
The Titans scored 368 points this season. What's much more impressive is that they only allowed 31, a remarkable achievement at a time when scoring has never been higher.
“One week at the start of the season, I told them a story about how I played high school ball (at Roosevelt High in Fresno),” Slocum said. “We had a great defense back then. I told them the headlines were, “The stingiest defense in the league.” And they simply went with it. They come here and play with a certain attitude. These guys are aggressive and understand what we're attempting to do. And I feel sometimes teams underestimate us.”
With 3.1 points per game in a 10-game undefeated season, several players received commendations from the pinnacle coach.
“(Defensive end) Luke Hines, that young man is a beast out there,” Slocum said. “Sam Dellenbach, he’s a ballhawk. If it's in the air, he'll get it. Cameron Owen, a linebacker with a lot of energy, downhill, something of a general on the field. But ultimately they play together as a team, collecting the ball and making tackles. That’s the most important thing about it.”
The Titans had five turnovers against Jefferson. Dellenbach and Jeremiah Davis each had each a fumble recovery and an interception. Sam Tachner also had an interception.
The season got here to an end for Jefferson, which began 0-2 after which won seven straight within the PAL Lake game heading into Thursday's game against Gunn.
“Five turnovers, you can’t win like that,” Jefferson coach Imani Stewart said. “A lot of our guys are coming back. Our offensive line and our defensive line are coming back. Our quarterback is coming back. The future looks bright for us.”
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