Roseville takes down Placer in Thursday night thriller

One of the most pivotal games in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff picture Thursday night was in Roseville, as the Tigers hosted Placer in a Foothill Valley League clash. With both teams firmly in playoff position in Division IV, a win would guarantee a home game while a loss could mean hitting the road. It was a back-and-forth battle for 48 minutes, but behind a physical rushing attack, a handful of clutch defensive takeaways and a gutsy performance from a banged-up roster, the Tigers outlasted Placer 35-23 to close the regular season with another statement win. Placer (6-4 overall, 3-2 FVL) finished third in the league and will await its playoff draw when brackets are released Sunday afternoon. Roseville (8-2, 4-1) locked up second place in the FVL and a home playoff game with the victory. Roseville coach Adam Reinking called it a tale of two halves, praising his team's ability to respond after a seesaw start. "I'm just so proud of our guys," Reinking said. "Joey Montoya is one of the best offensive minds around and we knew it wasn't going to be easy stopping them. But our offense played big early, and in the second half our defense stepped up huge. We had guys that just kept making plays. It was a total team effort." The win kept Roseville's senior class unbeaten against Placer, which Reinking took as a point of pride for a group he says has become "once-in-a-decade special." "I want to keep this ride going as long as we can," said Reinking. "Teams like this don't come around too often." Both offenses took off in the second quarter and lit up the scoreboard. Roseville's JJ Yong had a career night, catching six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Yong hauled in scoring tosses of 44 and 68 yards in the second quarter, allowing the Tigers to take control. "JJ is an absolute monster. He's been hurt for most of the year but he played huge in the two biggest games of the year for us," said Reinking. "He was just an absolute man among kids out here." The biggest momentum shift came midway through the second quarter following Young's second touchdown. Trailing 14-10, Placer quarterback Liam Grant connected with Keilin Beverage for a 68-yard touchdown that was called back due to a sideline warning during the play. Roseville's defense made the most of its second chance, as Justin Fischer forced a fumble and pounced on the loose ball in the red zone. Fischer also had two interceptions in Placer territory in the second half to keep the Tigers in front. Duane Hawkins had an interception for the Tigers as well. "Our defensive staff is amazing and they had us prepared for this game," said Reinking. "It's tough to prepare for and replicate a wing-T in practice and our defense stepped up and played big tonight." Trailing by two scores in the second half, Placer continued to fight. The Hillmen forced a turnover on downs late in the third quarter and drove 89 yards to make it a one-score game on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Grant to Beverage. Roseville's Kenny McClure took the first play of the ensuing drive 69 yards for a touchdown, but Placer responded with a scoring drive to cut the score to 28-23 with just over three minutes to play. The Hillmen thought they recovered the onside kick that would have given them a chance to take the lead, but the call was overturned and the Tigers put the game out of reach on a nine-yard touchdown run by Colton Wolfe. Placer made one final push, but Fischer sealed the deal with his second interception to allow the Tigers to run out the clock. Montoya said it was a frustrating way to end the game but applauded his team for their effort and grit, noting the Hillmen gave themselves a chance to win in the end. "This team has made monumental leaps and bounds. We faced adversity right off the bat again tonight when one of our two-way starters hurt his shoulder and didn't play a lot," said Montoya. "We still had kids come in and step up and and compete their butt off." One was senior William Santamaria, who found himself playing both ways filling in at running back. Santamaria made the most of his opportunity, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Danny Sanchez-Harlow led the way with 184 yards on 18 carries. "William wasn't expecting to be on the field all night for us playing linebacker and fullback, but he came in and he ran like a champion," said Montoya. Montoya said the game came down to Roseville's playmakers finding ways to step up in big moments, and he thinks if the Hillmen can clean that up, they can compete if they match up with the Tigers again in the postseason. "Their coaching staff called a great game and they have some obvious playmakers that they hit for the big plays on us," said Montoya. "We're gonna have to fix our angles if we get a chance to play them again. But we also put ourselves in a position to win the football game and unfortunately the ball didn't bounce our way tonight." Roseville's rushing attack was equally as dangerous, especially in the second half. D'Marcis Gresham carried 12 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. McClure eclipsed the century mark in the fourth quarter alone on his way to 151 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. "We were trying to run the ball and kill the clock and he just kept scoring," said Reinking, noting it was a good problem to have as McClure took over the game in the fourth quarter.