PLEASANT HILL — Marley Alcantara did it again.
Just over a year ago, the 5-foot-8 quarterback led Pittsburg on a second-half crusade to capture the 2023 North Coast Section Division I title over San Ramon Valley.
On Friday – 372 days after his clutch performance – Alcantara had perhaps his best performance as a Pittsburg quarterback as he led the Pirates in an inspired second-half display to beat SRV 35-28 at Diablo Valley College and capture the program’s fourth consecutive NCS Division I championship.
“That’s quintessential Marley,” Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said. “He’s the leader, he’s the man. He took matters into his own hands.”
Alcantara finished Friday’s game completing 24 of 35 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns.
“Watching Marley come in hot in the second half, that really motivated us,” defensive lineman Jewelous Walls said. “We needed that because if we didn’t have that, I don’t know where all our momentum would be at. I appreciate Marley.”
Just a week after Pittsburg’s heartbreaking 10-7 loss to De La Salle in the NCS Open Division title game, the Pirates punched their ticket to a CIF NorCal regional game and will continue their quest for a state title.
“It’s amazing winning another NCS title in my second as a starter,” Alcantara said. “To beat SRV two times in a row. It’s hard. It’s a big deal.”
Early on, it looked like Pittsburg was going to run away with the game.
The Pirates jumped out to a 20-7 lead at the 11:14 mark of the second quarter after Alcantara found Makari Kenion for a 30-yard touchdown.
But after allowing a few explosive Pittsburg scores, SRV found a rhythm in the second quarter.
SRV quarterback Rhett Thompson cut the Pittsburg lead to six after hooking up with Owen Scott for a 27-yard touchdown score. Later in the quarter, Thompson found Scott again in the same spot as SRV took the lead on another 27-yard touchdown throw from Thompson to Scott.
At halftime, SRV led 21-20 and had all the momentum.
But a fiery speech from Ramirez at halftime jolted Pittsburg and it showed in the third quarter.
“Coach (Charlie Ramirez) came out to the locker room trippin’,” Walls said on Ramirez’s halftime pep talk. “When he does that, we just know it’s real.”
Pittsburg drove 72 yards in eight plays using an array of short throws that ended with a 29-yard screen pass touchdown from Alcantara to freshman speedster Kenny Ward that put Pittsburg up 27-21.
The Pirates’ defense stepped up as well, making key stops in the second half.
Late in the third quarter, SRV strung together a long 10-play drive that got them into the red zone and were primed to score or possibly take back the lead until cornerback Truly Bell intercepted a pass in the end zone.
Pittsburg capitalized on the turnover as its 80-yard drive ended with Alcantara hitting senior receiver Leduane Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown pass over the middle. The Pirates used some trickery on their two-point conversion with running back Jamar Searcy throwing a score to Ward, putting Pittsburg up 35-21 with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Down two scores, SRV didn’t quit.
On the next possession, the Wolves cut the Pittsburg lead to seven when Scott found the end zone on a 5-yard end around.
The Wolves forced a turnover on downs on the ensuing Pittsburg drive to give its offense one final chance to tie or win the game. But it just wasn’t meant to be.
Pittsburg forced four incomplete passes and got the ball back with just over two minutes left. Searcy sealed the game for Pittsburg after he broke free for a 40-yard rush to force SRV to call its final timeout. The Pirates lined up in victory formation from there and iced the game with three consecutive kneels.
For SRV, the loss stung as the Danville school’s dominant season came to an end. The Wolves had opportunities to take leads in the second half, but struggled against a fast Pittsburg defense.
UCLA-bound Pittsburg safety Jadyn Hudson came up with two key interceptions in the first half – one of which came when SRV was on the Pittsburg 11-yard-line.
“The thing we’ve been saying all week is whoever makes the big plays at the end of the day, when it counts the most, is going to come out victorious,” SRV linebacker Marco Jones said. “They made big plays at the end of the game. We turned the ball over. We let them drive down the field on us.”
After the game, the Pittsburg senior class led the celebration. The 2025 class that includes Alcantara, Walls, Hudson, Searcy and linebackers Etene Pritchard and Dominik Calhoun has been the heartbeat of this run.
“Being a senior and playing with each other for such a long time, it’s just such a special team,” Alcantara said.
Pittsburg will know its NorCal playoff game opponent when the matchups are released on Sunday, but a familiar Sacramento-area foe who beat the Pirates in last year’s NorCal playoffs is already on the minds of the Bay Area team.
“Playing Folsom last year, we felt like we had them,” Walls said. “If it’s Folsom we’re ready. We want it. Pittsburg on top.”
