Prep football: Arroyo Grande feels loss of QB Sawyer May in season-ending defeat

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

Arroyo Grande High School senior quarterback Sawyer May had never missed a game since taking the starting job as a sophomore. He was supposed to start in what would be the final game of his successful high school career — just like he always had.

But a right ankle injury in Arroyo Grande’s first-round playoff game against Westlake changed everything.

Instead of running onto the artificial turf field at Valencia High School on Friday night in the Eagles’ quarterfinal game of the Division 2 CIF-Southern Section playoffs with the rest of the captains, May walked with the help of crutches. His right ankle so swollen and laden with tape he couldn’t wear shoelaces in his Vans.

His expression as he walked away from the pregame coin toss was a mix of annoyance and anguish — a far cry from what should have been a confident dual-threat quarterback hoping to catch the eye of college scouts one last time.

Taking his place was senior understudy Zach Bullard, making his first-ever start at quarterback in a road playoff game against the No. 2-ranked team in Division 2. Early on, Bullard seemed up for the challenge.

He was given a head start after a Valencia fumble set up a Cameron Johnston touchdown run and a 7-0 Arroyo Grande lead. Following a Valencia touchdown, Bullard scrambled for a long run and followed it up with a touchdown pass to a wide-open Trevor Alton to put the Eagles back on top.

The formula that resulted in a 17-17 tie after the first quarter was working. A couple of turnovers for the defense — a forced fumble and a Cade Cunningham interception — and big plays for the offense had the Eagles right in the mix. After all, Arroyo Grande didn’t need Bullard to win the game. Even May can be considered a game manager.

But eventually Valencia began to impose its will. The Arroyo Grande running game, which usually heavily features May and averages nearly 270 yards per game, was shut down. Sophomore running back James Gilmet was held to 59 yards, 37 yards below his season average. On the other side, Valencia running back Moises Haynes (168 yards, three touchdowns) and quarterback Aaron Thomas (272 yards passing, four touchdowns) combined for 440 yards of offense.

The Valencia team that was averaging 39 points per game this season scored 38 in the first half to take a 38-17 lead. The Arroyo Grande offense was shut out in the second half, and Valencia went on to win 52-24.

Still, Arroyo Grande head coach Tom Goossen was high on Bullard’s performance in a difficult situation.

“I thought Zach played stellar ball, actually,” Goossen said. “His passes were accurate, and he stood into the rush and delivered the ball. Zach did everything we wanted him to do, and I could not be more proud of his effort both running and throwing the ball.”

Bullard finished the game 7 of 14 for 73 yards passing and added four carries for 39 yards.

“I have practiced for this for a couple years now,” Bullard said after the game. “Sawyer is a great guy to play behind. I learned a lot from him, so I felt ready. But that was a good team we played.”

Despite the season-ending loss for Arroyo Grande (10-2) and a snapped 10-game winning streak, there were more smiles than tears on the field after the game — a sign that those wearing blue, white and gold felt they left everything they had on the field.

“We just play so hard, and we have so much fun on this team,” Bullard said. “Fantastic coaches. Best I’ve ever had. Just a great group of guys.”

Goossen, the Eagles’ longtime head coach who said after the game he will take time to consider the possibility of retirement, felt his team beat expectations by making it to the quarterfinals.

“When I look back at this year, I will remember that the seniors played unbelievably well,” Goossen said. “We did a lot of great things this year. When you don’t win the last game, it’s always a difficult ending, but ultimately this team will be measured as one of the better teams we have ever produced at Arroyo Grande.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Prep football: Arroyo Grande feels loss of QB Sawyer May in season-ending defeat."