Jordan Williamson's 37-yard field goal sailed through the uprights.
The clutch kick propelled visiting Stanford to a 17-14 overtime win versus top-ranked Oregon in front of more than 50,000 fans on Nov. 17.
Central Valley High School coaches Jason McCloskey and Antone Lopez, and Hawks players Ja'Quan Gardner, PJ Singh and Alex Medina witnessed the stunning upset in person during an unofficial recruiting trip. They were seated five rows up near the 30-yard line.
"It was a pretty crazy atmosphere," said Ja'Quan, star running back with Central Valley for the past two seasons. "You stand the whole game. They'll look at you like you're crazy if you sit down. It's the loudest place I've been. I don't even know how they call plays. I had a blast. I didn't want to leave."
McCloskey provided transportation to Eugene.
The roundtrip took 18 hours.
"We toured the school," Gardner. "It was pretty cool. The campus was nice."
"Nothing is official yet," McCloskey added. "They definitely recognize him as a Division-I prospect."
Gardner was promoted to Central Valley's varsity team as a sophomore in 2010.
Ja'Quan rushed for a school-record 1,985 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was voted Western Athletic Conference Offensive MVP.
Gardner gained 1,562 yards and scored 15 TDs this season.
He earned second-team, all-conference honors.
"That really wasn't my focus," Gardner said while talking about his individual success. "I'm just trying to help my team win games."
Central Valley compiled a 5-5 record in 2012.
The Hawks dropped out of playoff contention thanks to a 1-4 finish.
"We want to start a tradition," Gardner said. "We got to get bigger, stronger and faster. We need to set an example for the kids coming up."
Ja'Quan will add to his program-record totals for rushing yards and touchdowns in 2013.
He'll continue his football career at the collegiate level.
"Everybody wants to go to Oregon," Gardner said. "To have them looking at me is an honor. I'd like to play there. I wish I could tell the future."
The clutch kick propelled visiting Stanford to a 17-14 overtime win versus top-ranked Oregon in front of more than 50,000 fans on Nov. 17.
Central Valley High School coaches Jason McCloskey and Antone Lopez, and Hawks players Ja'Quan Gardner, PJ Singh and Alex Medina witnessed the stunning upset in person during an unofficial recruiting trip. They were seated five rows up near the 30-yard line.
"It was a pretty crazy atmosphere," said Ja'Quan, star running back with Central Valley for the past two seasons. "You stand the whole game. They'll look at you like you're crazy if you sit down. It's the loudest place I've been. I don't even know how they call plays. I had a blast. I didn't want to leave."
McCloskey provided transportation to Eugene.
The roundtrip took 18 hours.
"We toured the school," Gardner. "It was pretty cool. The campus was nice."
"Nothing is official yet," McCloskey added. "They definitely recognize him as a Division-I prospect."
Gardner was promoted to Central Valley's varsity team as a sophomore in 2010.
Ja'Quan rushed for a school-record 1,985 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was voted Western Athletic Conference Offensive MVP.
Gardner gained 1,562 yards and scored 15 TDs this season.
He earned second-team, all-conference honors.
"That really wasn't my focus," Gardner said while talking about his individual success. "I'm just trying to help my team win games."
Central Valley compiled a 5-5 record in 2012.
The Hawks dropped out of playoff contention thanks to a 1-4 finish.
"We want to start a tradition," Gardner said. "We got to get bigger, stronger and faster. We need to set an example for the kids coming up."
Ja'Quan will add to his program-record totals for rushing yards and touchdowns in 2013.
He'll continue his football career at the collegiate level.
"Everybody wants to go to Oregon," Gardner said. "To have them looking at me is an honor. I'd like to play there. I wish I could tell the future."
