Special teams gaffs send Boulder Creek to defeat
MARC BUCKHOUT ~MANAGING EDITOR ~ 10/19/2011

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The Boulder Creek Jaguars proved just how important special teams are
on Friday night.
Unfortunately for the Anthem school the lesson they offered was how costly poor
special teams play can be to a team’s hopes.
“We’ve got to get better,” Boulder Creek coach Daniel Friedman said. “I don’t know how we get our players to understand that special teams are just as important as offense and defense. We need to have them fired up about playing on special teams.”
In a game against undefeated Pinnacle (8-0), the Jaguars opened strong, claiming a 17-0 lead with 4:37 left before the half. From there the game swung entirely the other way in what turned out to be a 42-17 loss that dropped the Jaguars to 5-3 on the season.
“Hats of to them, they’ve got a good team, but we’ve got to get to where we have the mentality that we’re not satisfied when we get up on somebody. We’ve got to put our foot on their neck instead of letting up and allowing them to comeback,” Friedman said.
After getting on the board early in the second quarter, with a 23-yard field goal by senior Jacobus Van Leeuwen, following a 12-play 65 yard drive, Van Leeuwen recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.
Taking over on the Pioneers’ 31, the Jaguars scored three plays later on a 21-yard touchdown run by Stephen Landeros. The junior started right, before bouncing back to the left side and beating the defense to the corner of the end zone with a diving effort just
inside the pylon.
On the next possession Jaguars sophomore linebacker Isaiah Birkel intercepted a pass from Pinnacle senior quarterback Harley Jackson. Two plays later Landeros scored his second touchdown of the night, this one a 7-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Trevor Bonifasi.
With 4:37 left in the half the Jaguars seemingly had all the momentum on their side, but it would be short-lived.
Receiving the ensuing kickoff Josh Hoekstra took the ball back 90 yards from the Pinnacle 2 to the Jaguars 8.
One play later the Pioneers had pulled with 17-7.
The Jaguars would have a chance to answer before the half, but couldn’t convert a 28-yard field goal in the half’s closing seconds.
After a first half that included a blocked field goal, a missed field goal and a 90-yard kickoff return, the second half saw the Jaguars give up a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown and have Van Leeuwen get tackled on the Jaguars 1-yardline on another punt attempt. On that play a high snap required the punter to leap high in the air simply to keep the ball from sailing into the end zone. By the time the senior was able to get to the ball he was tackled by a host of Pioneers.
All told the Jaguars special teams cost Boulder Creek 27 points on the night, six points Boulder Creek didn’t get, on a missed 28-yard field goal, and the blocked field goal in the first half.
Along with the 75-yard punt return for a touchdown, the 90-yard kickoff return set up a 1-play 8 yard drive and the high punt snap led to a 1-play 1 yard drive for another touchdown.
At 5-3 overall and No. 10 in the Division I power rankings, Friedman said his team has backed itself into a corner as they prepare to head to Prescott Friday to take on Bradshaw Mountain (5-3).
“I think we have to play that one as if it’s a playoff game,” he said.

CACTUS SHADOWS
The Falcons (2-6) fell to 0-6 in games they’ve given up 40 points or more, this time going down to defeat at the hands of Notre Dame Prep 41-14 on Friday.
This week the Falcons close the home portion of their schedule with a 7 p.m. Friday game against Paradise Valley (4-4).