East Union had chances to crumble in pressure situations Friday in its Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoff opener at No. 7 Nevada Union’s Hooper Stadium.

The Lancers, seeded 10th, have a history of stumbling when faced with these moments, but they were able to buck the trend in a 21-14 victory. It is just their second postseason win since 1992.

Running back/linebacker Brayden Camara led the way with two touchdowns and a fumble recovery, while quarterback Anthony Morales — who completed 10 consecutive passes at one point — finished 19-of-28 for 186 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Blake Mount added 10 receptions for 83 yards but also forced a fumble with a thudding hit late in the game, atoning for a big mistake that gave Nevada Union some early momentum.

The Lancers will next face Valley Oak League rival Patterson in the quarterfinals.

“Our guys just dug deep,” first-year EU coach Booie Daniels said. “I told them from the beginning, these guys will out-side us, but they will not out-heart us. We control the atmosphere. It’s not about their fans, their team or their stadium, it’s about us. If we do what we do, we will win this football game.”

And that’s what his team did, getting clutch plays on defense. East Union (6-5) recovered three fumbles for turnovers and had three fourth-down stops deep in its own territory. The offense also committed three turnovers — two fumbles and an interception — and had a punt blocked on its half of the field, but the defense was able to limit the damage.

Nevada Union (6-5) had a chance to tie it on its final drive of the game, starting from its 41-yard line with 1:01 remaining. East Union held the Miners to four downs, the last of which was an underthrown ball intended for wingback Nathaniel Pritchett. East Union’s Joseph Batiz and Cesar Salinas pressured NU quarterback Liam Crossen into rushing the throw.

Standout running back Rhyder Eelkema rambled for 149 yards on 22 carries for Nevada Union’s Wing-T attack but was kept out of the end zone and lost two fumbles.

East Union’s defense gave up just one touchdown for a second straight week. The Miners struck first on the third play from scrimmage when linebacker Carter Van Matre knocked the ball loose from Mount. Austin Putnam picked it up and ran it back 26 yards for the touchdown.

East Union coughed up the ball again on its next series. Elijah Rogers forced the fumble from Salinas, and Craig Statler recovered it for Nevada Union.

Then the defense turned the tide.

After two big gains from Pritchett, a 23-yard run and 22-yard catch, the Miners were on the Lancers’ 6-yard line on first-and-goal. Batiz and Salinas each had tackles for losses on the next two plays, and Nevada Union stalled out on the 3-yard line.

“We gave up two quick turnovers and I said, ‘What’s your toughness level?’” Daniels said. “They dug deep, and our defense played smash-mouth football for four quarters to win it.”
East Union responded by scoring 21 unanswered points.

Camara (16 rushes, 78 yards) scored on 6- and 4-yard runs in the second quarter to lift the Lancers to a 14-7 halftime lead.

They widened the gap in the third quarter when Jackson Fay (five receptions, 68 yards) beat double coverage for a 30-yard-touchdown reception on third-and-8. That touchdown was set up by a recovered fumble from Salinas on Nevada Union’s first drive of the second half.

“We knew the short (passing) game would be there,” Daniels said. “On film, they play a lot of cover-3 (defense), so the hitches and slants were going to be there. We were not throwing anything past 7 yards, and once we pulled the defense in, we went over the top to Fay.”

Nevada Union caught the Lancers by surprise with the deep ball on its next series, as Crossen connected with Xavier Deniz for a 36-yard touchdown with 3:42 left in the third quarter.

It was a defensive back-and-forth the rest of the way.

Putnam, scored earlier scored the defensive TD for the Miners, came up big again with a blocked punt that was recovered by Jake Barefield on the East Union 40.

They wound up turning it over on downs on the 31, forced a three-and-out on defense and was halted again on the Lancers’ 33.

East Union had a chance to double its lead late, but Morales’ fourth-down throw from the Nevada Union 18 fell incomplete.

The Miners threatened again after a 20-yard run from Eelkema. Then Mount redeemed himself from his earlier miscue. NU went back to Eelkema on the next play, and the physical 6-foot-3, 190-pound back ran for 12 yards before Mount popped the ball free with a jarring blow. Vincent Hudson grabbed the loose ball for East Union.

“In football, things happen, but you gotta have a short memory, come back and make the next play,” Daniels said. “I told him (Mount) to have a short memory and get the ball back for me. The kid has a nose for the ball, and he had a great defensive game for a second straight week.”

East Union will get a chance to avenge one of its losses next Friday, Nov. 15. Second-seeded Patterson (5-5) gave up a big lead and escaped Dino Cunial Field with a 53-50 win on the Lancers’ homecoming night.

“We’re actually really looking forward to that matchup,” Daniels said. “We made some critical errors early on that put us in the early hole, and we were able to rally late against them. They’re a very well-coached team with some really good players, but I believe we match up well with them. We’re very happy with how we’re playing right now, and we’re looking to compete well at their house.”