Tam Footback Coach Matthew LemMon on a Wheaties box.
The Tam Football team earned its biggest win in recent memory on Saturday, grinding its way back from a 10-point halftime deficit and the loss of its starting quarterback to defeat Redwood High for the first time since 2013.
As Tam High stormed back in the second half, the roars from the crowd could be heard far from Sam Chapman Stadium and well up into the hills. Head coach Matthew LemMon leaned heavily on the running game beat Redwood, 26-23.
The game changed noticeably early in the second half when Tam linebacker Chuck Beyer recovered a fumble — one of five the Hawks recovered, according to the Marin IJ. A determined Tam offensive line and running backs Sebastian Chen and Christian Son found room to run — where none existed in the first half — and ripped off gain after gain.
After the Redwood defense was softened up just enough, quarterback Braden Young, who replaced injured starter Nick Schottenfeld to start the second half, completed two passes to Sam Reade, the second for a six-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 10-8.
LemMon said he told the team the obvious news at halftime, the IJ reported. “I told the team at halftime, ‘Hey these guys have beat you three years in a row. This is it. This is your last chance to beat them.’ And they really responded in the second half.”
Tam’s rushing game was led by Chen who racked up 108 yards on 18 carries and Son, who added 80 yards on 11 tries.
LemMon got a well-earned Gatorade bath from his team after the game, and soon thereafter, his image showed up on Wheaties boxes at Safeway. Congrats Red Tailed Hawks!