Jacks win thriller in OT

QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks (2-4) overcame the Grandview Greyhounds 2-1 in overtime Tuesday. A header by Julian Valenzuela sealed the win for Quincy as they earned their second win of the season.  

“I just see Brayan Nunez, and I was just like, ‘Is he going to pass? Is he going to take everyone?’ then I hesitated, I'm just going to stay back with him, (let him) do his thing, (I) see the ball coming, I was like, ‘Wait, I got header.’ So I just, boom, headed that in. I looked for a bit, and then I saw the goal, and I was like, ‘No way I scored.’ I was so happy just celebrating with my whole team,” Valenzuela said.  

The first half showed promise in the Quincy attack, stringing together several shots on goal opportunities. However, the Grandview defense held up, and the first half went scoreless. The Jacks made the necessary adjustments in the second half, which helped them make a goal in the first 10 minutes, though Grandview responded minutes later with a goal to tie it up 1-1. Neither team could score before the second half ended, so it had to be decided in overtime. From there, the Jacks went on the attack and Valenzuela scored the game winner off an assist by Nunez.  

“We've been through a lot these last couple weeks. We've gone from a 1-0 loss to a 7-0 loss to a 6-0 loss. Finally (we) get the whole team, complete team, out. That's what it's all about, right now, getting everybody healthy, and finally everybody cleared,” Head Coach Hector Vaca said.  

Despite a scoreless first half, the Jacks put pressure on the Greyhounds defense throughout most of it. This was one of their strengths on display, Vaca said.  

“A lot of people are questioning our attack. It's just a matter of getting the right guys out there, and once everybody's healthy, once everybody's clear, this is what we can do. That was a big emphasis, though, is attack,” he said.  

One player making their presence known was Erick Zepeda. Whether it was on the attack, intercepting Grandview passes or accurate passing of his own, he made his impact on several occasions for the Jacks in the first half.  

Vaca described him as a gem. 

“I would say he's a one-in-a-million type of player, so I have quite a bit of them on the team, but Eric's just one of those guys that (is) reliable. He's a go-to guy,” Vaca said.  

Despite some close calls in the first half, the score was 0-0 at halftime. However, the Jacks came out fast to start the second half as they immediately pushed the ball downfield. Within the first 10 minutes, Nunez pushed the ball past a pair of Grandview defenders to take a shot on goal which drove into the bottom left corner of the goal for the Jacks first score.  

Before Quincy could settle into having the lead, the Greyhounds responded with a goal to tie the game 1-1. From there, momentum shifted back and forth as each team made several attempts to jump ahead before time ran out. However, neither team could pull it off, and they had to settle the game in overtime.  

As the extra period kicked off, the Jacks kept the heat on Grandview. A couple of minutes in, and Nunez charged into the box amidst heavy defensive pressure by the Greyhounds. With a swift pass over their heads, Valenzuela found himself in the right place for a header to score the game-winning shot for the Jacks.  

Valenzuela was in disbelief after drilling that shot.  

“I'm a junior, I feel so great helping my seniors out. Just really proud (of the team). That ball was nice, that was a beautiful pass,” Valenzuela said.  

The Jacks are playing with a chip on their shoulders, Vaca said. According to him, the whole team has embraced it, including Valenzuela, who believes this team can accomplish a lot this year.  

“I feel like we could go to state. I want to go to state; that's always been my goal since freshman (year),” he said. “I feel like my team is a big team, but we just have to be like a family. If we're not a family, we don't play (well); if we're (playing like) family and we all go together and fight together, it's all equal. It's all one single punch.” 

The Jacks travel to Ellensburg on Saturday to play the Bulldogs at noon. As more of his players get healthy, Vaca is confident they can carry this momentum forward.  

“We're finally getting the full, complete team, and it's just going to take a little bit to build off of that, but I think we just build off of this and keep continuing what we're doing,” Vaca said.  BOX SCORE: 

BOX SCORE

GRVW: 0-1-0: 1 

QNCY: 0-1-1:2 

    Ken Morales (9) takes a shot on goal against the Grandview Greyhounds during their game Tuesday.
  

    The Quincy Jacks’ Sergio Hernandez (3) battles with a Grandview defender for control of the ball during their game Tuesday.
  

    Ramiro Beltran (1), in pink, makes a save after Grandview took a shot on goal during their game Tuesday.