Los Gatos’ Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung (22) celebrates defeating Liberty as the clock winds down during their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Los Gatos defeated Liberty 35-34. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The Los Gatos football team will play host to Sacramento powerhouse Grant on Friday night instead of traveling to Live Oak as originally scheduled.
The South Bay school had to scramble after the Live Oak game was canceled over the weekend.
Los Gatos announced Monday on X (formerly known as Twitter) that it would face Grant. Tuesday, Los Gatos added that the game would be played in the Bay Area. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“Big thank you to Athletic Director and Head Coach Carl Reed and the Grant Administration for making this game happen on such short notice!” Los Gatos posted on the social media site.
Live Oak coach Mike Gemo declined to comment when asked why his team’s game against Los Gatos was called off and whether his school would seek another opponent.
The Acorns, ranked 24th by the Bay Area News Group, beat Mountain View 20-14 on Friday.
Los Gatos coach Mark Krail found out about the cancellation last weekend but said the reason should come from Live Oak.
With the game no longer on the schedule, Los Gatos hit the internet to search for opponents. The Wildcats connected with Grant, which also needed a game, and agreed to play.
Having traveled to Brentwood last weekend to face Liberty, Los Gatos was hoping to avoid a trip to Sacramento.
Tuesday, the pieces fell into place for Los Gatos, ranked fifth by the Bay Area News Group.
Now, the Wildcats have to prepare to face an opponent that is 2-1, with the loss coming against another powerhouse, Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, 21-18.
Last week, Grant beat Reno 40-0.
“They’re a great team,” Krail said. “But I’d rather play somebody than not play. You get to the playoffs and all that and you start worrying about numbers and how it’s going to affect (seeding), Hey, the kids deserve 10 football games, and we were fortunate to find an opponent that was also looking that’s really good.
“We’re trying to get better and the one way you get better is playing good teams.”
Originally published at Darren Sabedra