Woodcreek stuns Placer with second-half shutout, clinches first semifinal berth in school history

In sports, it is said to act like you've been there before, but the Woodcreek High School football program hasn't. Last week, Woodcreek picked up its first playoff win since 2008 and Friday night, the eighth-seeded Timberwolves defeated No. 1 Placer 26-21 in Auburn to advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals for the first time. After an offensive shootout in the first half, Woodcreek pitched a second-half shutout that included two red-zone stands in the final four minutes. Following a goal-line stand that resulted in a turnover on downs, the Timberwolves went three and out and punted to Placer with 3:12 to play. The Hillmen moved down to the Woodcreek 12-yard line with ease and looked poised to make another late comeback, but a miscue on a toss resulted in a fumble, which Woodcreek linebacker Keegan McDaniel recovered. "We just played our game defensively and we made some adjustments to our front seven," coach Bradley Hunkins said. "We did a little bit more movement than what we had seen in the first half and we just tackled better. It was like we were caught in the bright lights in the first half but finally calmed down." On offense, Cooper Kyro made the difference. At first glance, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound fullback may not be the most intimidating back in the section, but he pounded the Placer front seven for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Kyro thanked his offensive line for his performance, a unit Hunkins said he felt was key to victory. "My line was great. They were just getting the gaps open and giving me running lanes," Kyro said. "We were ready for this game and we delivered. We felt we had to come in and put on a show and we did that." "Cooper ran really well," Hunkins said. "Credit to Placer, they gave us fits all night and our line just had to trust the process and wait for something to open up. When it did, those runs were amazing." To call it a program-defining win for Woodcreek (9-3) would be an understatement. But while the Timberwolves may have been underdogs to most, they fully expected to be here from the start. "These kids bought in and they believed in what we were doing," Hunkins said. "I thought last year's team would be really good and this year's team has done a great job establishing a winning culture here. These kids are the reason why Woodcreek football has gotten to this point." "To be part of the first team to make it this far just feels absolutely amazing," Kyro said. "All the work, all the hours we put in, it's just paying off. It's awesome." But with every triumphant victory in the postseason comes heartbreak, tears and defeat on the other side. Placer's (10-1) only loss marks a disappointing end to the season. "I'm so proud of our kids in the season that they had and for the game they played tonight," Placer coach Joey Montoya said. "Two great teams battling all the way to the very end, and my hat's off to Woodcreek, and we wish them all the luck moving forward." Although it didn't end with a section championship, Montoya doesn't want his players to hang their heads. "They're a special group of guys. They won us a FVL championship, they had an undefeated regular season, but more importantly, they grew as young men and became better people," Montoya said. Woodcreek will look to keep its Cinderella run going next week against No. 4 Christian Brothers (9-2) in the Division III semifinals. The Falcons defeated No. 5 Merced 42-28 Friday night. "We've got to be locked in and we have to be ready and able to keep the work up," Kyro said. The winner will face either No. 3 Grant or No. 2 Patterson for the championship. WOODCREEK 26, PLACER 21 Woodcreek 12 7 7 0 - 26 Placer 14 7 0 0 - 21 Woodcreek - Cooper Kyro 63 run (PAT failed) Placer - Isaiah Hanley 47 pass from Josh Craycraft (Jaxon Ramirez kick) Woodcreek - Kyro 3 run (2-pt. failed) Placer - Kosta Aleksic 1 run (Ramirez kick) Woodcreek - Kyro 37 run (Ethan Downie kick) Placer - Craycraft 1 run (Ramirez kick) Woodcreek - Kyro 63 run (Downie kick)