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ENLARGE
Bobby Heatherington and his Del Oro Golden Eagles weren't about to waste their second chance.
Less than a full minute after throwing an interception that looked to have sealed the win for Nevada Union Friday night, Heatherington stepped back under center with 2:29 to go in the game and his team trailing by three points.
And the senior signal-caller went to work, covering 58 yards while completing 5-of-5 passes — the last of which, a 3-yard play-action toss to Russell Smith, gave the Golden Eagles a 35-31 victory over the host Miners at Hooper Stadium.
Heatherington was sharp throughout the contest, connecting on 16-of-18 passes for 190 yards. But it was one of his two throws that got away that nearly brought down the curtain on Del Oro in the Sierra Foothill League showdown.
On fourth-and-four at his own 43-yard line, Heatherington sent a spiral to left side of the field, where NU junior linebacker Hank Humphers snatched it out of the air for an interception.
The Miners (4-3 overall, 0-2 SFL) looked as though they were about to finally break through with their first league win since joining the SFL in 2010, holding the 31-28 edge and the ball with three minutes to go.
But Del Oro (6-1, 2-0) wouldn't go so easily.
A penalty backed the Miners up for a first-and-15, followed by a pair of runs from junior fullback Tanner Vallejo that totaled three yards. Kyle Cota, NU's junior quarterback who returned after missing the previous two games due to injury, broke free for an eight-yard gain to bring up a fourth-and-four situation at the Del Oro 34.
Yet another motion penalty on the Miners made it fourth-and-nine.
Lining up in punt formation, NU snapped the ball to the up-back, Gabe Humphers, for a fake. The senior sped to his right, but was stopped for a five-yard gain, giving Heatherington and the Golden Eagles another chance.
The loss was the Miners' seventh straight in SFL play and it was another nail-biter that likely left Nevada Union fans feeling a bit snake-bitten. Nevada Union's seven consecutive league losses have come by a total margin of 44 points, or 6.2 per defeat.
The Miners moved the ball through the air with ease against the Del Oro defense, after the teams had struggled to find their offensive rhythm in a 0-0 first quarter. Cota, back under center after missing action in losses to Elk Grove and Granite Bay, completed two of his first five passes in the first quarter. But he caught fire in the second stanza, hitting on 6-of-9 passes to rally NU from a 14-0 deficit to a 14-11 halftime score.
Cota completed 15-of-22 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and pitched to Josiah Paye on an option play for a two-point conversion.
Once again, Cota's favorite target was senior wideout Jake Hofheinz, who scored the Eagles secondary for 196 yards and two scores on 10 catches. Hofheinz has been the most consistent offensive threat throughout the season for NU, totaling 40 catches for 730 yards and eight touchdowns.
And it was Cota and Hofheinz who gave the Miners their go-ahead touchdown with 5:09 left in the game. Having hit for 10 yard per pop on out patterns throughout the night, the tandem caught the Del Oro defense off guard late. Pump-faking the out pattern to the left side, Cota then unleashed the deep ball down the left sideline, where Hofheinz had turned upfield and left the Golden Eagles well behind for a 48-yard touchdown and an NU 31-28 lead.
NU's aerial attack had much more success than the Miner ground game, which managed a mere 56 yards to Del Oro's 188 rushing yards. Brandon Monroe ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Eagles, while Nick O'Sullivan added 76 yards and two scores.
Nevada Union takes another shot at its first SFL win at home next week, hosting Roseville (5-2, 2-0), which defeated Rocklin 26-14 Friday. Del Oro, whose lone loss came to Southern California power Westlake (6-0) by a 30-27 margin, will entertain Granite Bay's Grizzlies (6-1, 2-0), who topped Woodcreek 46-21 Friday in SFL action.
To contact City Editor Brian Hamilton, e-mail bhamilton@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4249.
Less than a full minute after throwing an interception that looked to have sealed the win for Nevada Union Friday night, Heatherington stepped back under center with 2:29 to go in the game and his team trailing by three points.
And the senior signal-caller went to work, covering 58 yards while completing 5-of-5 passes — the last of which, a 3-yard play-action toss to Russell Smith, gave the Golden Eagles a 35-31 victory over the host Miners at Hooper Stadium.
Heatherington was sharp throughout the contest, connecting on 16-of-18 passes for 190 yards. But it was one of his two throws that got away that nearly brought down the curtain on Del Oro in the Sierra Foothill League showdown.
On fourth-and-four at his own 43-yard line, Heatherington sent a spiral to left side of the field, where NU junior linebacker Hank Humphers snatched it out of the air for an interception.
The Miners (4-3 overall, 0-2 SFL) looked as though they were about to finally break through with their first league win since joining the SFL in 2010, holding the 31-28 edge and the ball with three minutes to go.
But Del Oro (6-1, 2-0) wouldn't go so easily.
A penalty backed the Miners up for a first-and-15, followed by a pair of runs from junior fullback Tanner Vallejo that totaled three yards. Kyle Cota, NU's junior quarterback who returned after missing the previous two games due to injury, broke free for an eight-yard gain to bring up a fourth-and-four situation at the Del Oro 34.
Yet another motion penalty on the Miners made it fourth-and-nine.
Lining up in punt formation, NU snapped the ball to the up-back, Gabe Humphers, for a fake. The senior sped to his right, but was stopped for a five-yard gain, giving Heatherington and the Golden Eagles another chance.
The loss was the Miners' seventh straight in SFL play and it was another nail-biter that likely left Nevada Union fans feeling a bit snake-bitten. Nevada Union's seven consecutive league losses have come by a total margin of 44 points, or 6.2 per defeat.
The Miners moved the ball through the air with ease against the Del Oro defense, after the teams had struggled to find their offensive rhythm in a 0-0 first quarter. Cota, back under center after missing action in losses to Elk Grove and Granite Bay, completed two of his first five passes in the first quarter. But he caught fire in the second stanza, hitting on 6-of-9 passes to rally NU from a 14-0 deficit to a 14-11 halftime score.
Cota completed 15-of-22 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and pitched to Josiah Paye on an option play for a two-point conversion.
Once again, Cota's favorite target was senior wideout Jake Hofheinz, who scored the Eagles secondary for 196 yards and two scores on 10 catches. Hofheinz has been the most consistent offensive threat throughout the season for NU, totaling 40 catches for 730 yards and eight touchdowns.
And it was Cota and Hofheinz who gave the Miners their go-ahead touchdown with 5:09 left in the game. Having hit for 10 yard per pop on out patterns throughout the night, the tandem caught the Del Oro defense off guard late. Pump-faking the out pattern to the left side, Cota then unleashed the deep ball down the left sideline, where Hofheinz had turned upfield and left the Golden Eagles well behind for a 48-yard touchdown and an NU 31-28 lead.
NU's aerial attack had much more success than the Miner ground game, which managed a mere 56 yards to Del Oro's 188 rushing yards. Brandon Monroe ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Eagles, while Nick O'Sullivan added 76 yards and two scores.
Nevada Union takes another shot at its first SFL win at home next week, hosting Roseville (5-2, 2-0), which defeated Rocklin 26-14 Friday. Del Oro, whose lone loss came to Southern California power Westlake (6-0) by a 30-27 margin, will entertain Granite Bay's Grizzlies (6-1, 2-0), who topped Woodcreek 46-21 Friday in SFL action.
To contact City Editor Brian Hamilton, e-mail bhamilton@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4249.
