SAN JOSE – The momentum was all in Bellarmine College Prep’s favor. The Bells scored 10 consecutive points to seize the lead early in the fourth quarter of the West Catholic Athletic League football contest and Archbishop Mitty’s quarterback was hurt.
So how did we get to the point where Mitty coach Danny Sullivan was pumping his fist, hugging everyone around him, and pausing conversations so he could “soak it all in?”
How did Mitty get from there to here?
With a stunning turnaround that featured two touchdowns within six seconds and launched by a bolt of lightning named Danny Scudero, who scored twice during a 21-point blitz to close out the game.
By virtue of their 31-17 victory at San Jose City College on Friday night, the Monarchs are strengthening their stature and confidence once again in a 6-1 season that includes a 3-1 record in the Bay Area’s toughest league.
“We had one win last year,” Sullivan explained, as the Mitty crowd roared behind him. “This is unbelievable.”
Scudero’s teammate, Steven Anaya, sensed something special was about to happen. As the kickoff-return unit stepped onto the field following Connor Tripp’s 33-yard field goal that gave the Bells a 17-10 lead with 10:12 left in the game, Anaya approached the returner Scudero, wearing jersey No. 10.
“Ten,” Anaya said to him, “What a time! You’re our guy. We need one. Why not right now?”
Scudero looked back and Anaya, and answered: “I got you.”
The kick was a bit short, moving Scudero up to the 10-yard line to catch it. That alone revved Scudero up even more – between touchbacks and short kicks, he rarely gets a chance for a return. This time, he took full advantage, racing upfield and then cutting to his left as he saw the opening if he could get around the corner.
“I saw one Bellarmine guy holding the edge,” Scudero said. “I thought I could beat him with speed around the edge. I definitely feel like when I’m able to get the edge and turn upfield, I’m very hard to bring down.”
So true. Scudero beat the defender to the sideline and took off. No one came close to catching him on a 90-yard return that tied the score.
Still, Bellarmine (3-4, 2-2), which got 135 yards on 16 carries from Riley Paran, was on its best offensive surge and was seeking to score on a third consecutive series. QB Parker Threatt went with a quick out pass on first down. But Anaya, anticipating such a throw from his cornerback spot, jumped the route and raced to the end zone on a 25-yard return.
Just like that … six seconds … two touchdowns, and a 24-17 lead in a shocking turn of events that revived a Mitty side that was sullen after quarterback Wills Towers left the game after slamming the back of his head against the ground after being hit as a threw an incomplete fourth-down pass. At that time, Mitty still held a 10-7 third-quarter lead.
But that was before the teams combined for 24 points in a 3:55 stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters.
Towers’ backup, senior Ty Yoshida, had his second pass intercepted by Bellarmine’s Noel Diaz off a deflection from a Mitty bobble, setting up Tripp’s second field goal.
Given another chance, this time with a lead, Yoshida led a scoring drive that cemented the victory. It concluded with another one-on-victory for Scudero, this time on a post route for a 24-yard score with 3:47 left for the final margin.
Asked to explain the turn of events, Scudero shrugged.
“Some of those things, they just happen,” he said.