SAN JOSE — The expectation was for a low-scoring game between two defense-first teams. Add in the steady rain that fell all day, and doubts hovered as to whether either team would crack double figures in the scoring column.
Instead, Bellarmine turned in one of its best offensive showings of the season in a 35-21 victory over Vanden-Fairfield in a Northern California 3-A playoff game Saturday at San Jose City College.
So now Bellarmine (8-6), left for dead and halfway buried with a 3-6 record at the end of October, gets to play for a state championship. The Bells will host Laguna Hills next Saturday at 6 p.m.
“There was a point during the season when that seemed pretty crazy,” Bellarmine coach Jalal Beauchman said. “It still seems crazy, but these guys deserve it. We’re getting better. It’s a long season. We’re a dangerous bunch right now. We’re playing good football, we’re taking care of the football, not making the mistakes we made earlier in the season. Right now we’re tough to beat.
“One more week of football.”
“I’m just super excited,” said running back Ben Pfaff, who rushed for 140 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns. “This has been a dream of mine ever since I came to Bellarmine.”
About all that went wrong for Bellarmine while the game was on the line were two bad snaps from center that sailed over punter Connor Tripp’s head. He scrambled to pick up the ball in the end zone on the first occasion and got off a sideways punt that went out of bounds at the 10 for a net loss of minus-19 yards.
The Bellarmine defense, terrific all game, kept Vanden out of the end zone, allowing just a 24-yard field goal that gave the visitors the lead in the first quarter.
Vanden (12-2), a defending state champion, came into the game allowing an average of only 12 points per contest in its first 13 games this season. Down the stretch the Vikings had been even more stingy, allowing a combined 21 points over their last five games.
But Bellarmine, which went through its own offensive struggles earlier in the season, attacked Vanden’s defense with power running up the middle. Pfaff, whose absence for four games with a high ankle sprain coincided with the period of Bellarmine’s offensive difficulties, ran for two second-quarter touchdowns to give the Bells a 14-3 lead at halftime.
“He’s built like a brick house,” Beauchman said of the 190-pound Pfaff.
Bellarmine put the game away with three touchdowns in the third quarter. On its first possession after receiving the second-half kickoff, the Bells ran Pfaff up the middle on third and 7. He picked up 5 yards to bring up fourth and 2. The Vanden defense expected another carry by Pfaff, but quarterback Nate Escalada kept the ball instead and ran untouched for a 51-yard touchdown. Escalada finished with 11 carries for 103 yards.
“Our offense has found its identity,” Escalada said.
Vanden’s first possession of the third quarter ended on an interception by Billy Ladd, who returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. Then the Bells went 46 yards in five plays with Escalada hitting Sean McGuire with a 12-yard touchdown pass.
So it was 35-3 heading to the fourth quarter when Vanden scored 18 unanswered points to make the final score closer. Vanden’s first score of the fourth quarter was a safety, making it 35-5 when Bellarmine’s second bad long snap of the game went over Tripp’s head and through the end zone. Vanden followed that with two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversion runs by quarterback Tre Dimes.
As the game headed toward its conclusion frustration boiled over on the Vanden side and the head official called a halt, signaling the game was over with 1:13 left on the clock.
Bellarmine’s defense held Vanden to 43 yards rushing and 127 passing. Sophomore linebacker Reece McKeever was in on three of the four sacks the Bellarmine defense registered and had another tackle for loss. John Piro also contributed on a pair of sacks. Jake Hanson recovered a fumble as well as picking up 21 yards on two carries spelling Pfaff.