Cougars beat El Diamante in D-I quarterfinals

VISALIA — Rich Hammond stood in front of his Clovis High football team and delivered a passionate speech about playing games in December, the ones players and coaches never forget.

For the first time in eight years, the Cougars will get that opportunity.

Fifth-seeded Clovis pulled ahead with 1:49 remaining in the game on Donnell Vercher’s 6-yard touchdown run to beat No. 4 El Diamante 14-7 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Central Section Division I playoffs at Community Stadium.

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“When they came out for football this year, it wasn’t the in thing to do,” second-year Cougars coach Hammond said of a program that had gone 5-26 the previous three seasons, and hadn’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since winning the Yosemite Division Large Schools title in 2002. “For them to take it back where it belongs is a great testament to them. I’m real proud of our kids.”

Clovis (8-4) advances to a semifinals rematch against top-seeded Clovis West next Friday. The Golden Eagles, who moved on with a 42-14 win over No. 8 Stockdale, routed the Cougars 56-14 in their previous meeting Nov. 12.

“This is a very special moment for us,” said Vercher, who scored both of Clovis’ touchdowns, including a 1-yard plunge to cap the game’s first possession. “We haven’t been here in a long time. We are going to give Clovis West our very best game.”

Anthony Arcelus, who had missed a potential go-ahead 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, literally carried the Cougars into scoring position for the go-ahead touchdown.

Arcelus caught a 28-yard pass from Jared Weakley, who was subbing for injured starter Andrew Smith, on a third-and-12 play to extend Clovis’ drive. Arcelus then carried four straight times — all identical sweeps to the right — while gaining 3, 10, 7 and 5 yards to move the ball to El Diamante’s 23.

“I told coach I wanted the ball and he had faith in me,” Arcelus said. “I had great blocking around the end. Coach Hammond likes to run the same play if it’s working. They were calling out ‘watch sweep,’ but we didn’t change anything.”

From there, Vercher exploded for a 17-yard run out of the wildcat formation before scoring on the next play.

Playing its first season in D-I, El Diamante (9-2) threw two interceptions inside Clovis territory. (The second, snagged by the Cougars’ Roderick Arms with 1:06 left, sealed the outcome.) The Miners also had a disastrous stretch in the second quarter where they fumbled away a chance to score after having a first-and-goal situation from the 8 and fumbled again after forcing a punt.

By Nick Giannandrea / The Fresno Bee