MERCED — That’s using your head!

Converting on three headers off assists from Tom Nolan, Jacob Rutheiser and Kian Bagheri, senior midfielder Ryan Gross paced Davis High to a 4-2 Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal soccer win over Golden Valley on Thursday night at Veterans Stadium.

The win sets up a Saturday championship rematch with the nation’s No. 17 school, Jesuit. The Marauders beat the Blue Devils, 3-0, in the title game in 2010 — but played their rival to a 1-1 tie early this season.

CIF official Will DeBoard told The Enterprise that the game will be played at 6 p.m. at Cosumnes Oaks High (Elk Grove).

Against Golden Valley, it was Gross 3, Cougars 0 at 21:31 of the first period.

GVHS came out trying to play the same kind of tempered passing game that lulled DHS to sleep in the Cougs’ 2009 upset in these same semis.

The Devils were having none of it.

Conor Anderson, Jacob Weiss, Bagheri, Emmanuel Medina and Gross were relentless in their marking of Golden Valley standouts Daniel Byrne and Cody Golbad. Neither could get untracked early as Davis struck quickly.

Six minutes in, Nolan’s whirling dervish ICBM throw-in found a leaping Gross, who used his noggin for DHS’ first tally.

At 12:37, Bagheri’s corner went directly to his captain’s Mohawk hairdo. The extra fuzz was complementary to Gross’ flick and it was 2-0.

When defender Rutheiser served a 30-yard ball to the goal mouth, guess who jumped up and redirected the serve with his head?

“He was terrific again,” DHS coach Ashley Yudin explained afterward. “But the goal that gave us room … (was) that early second-half goal from Collin (Holtz).”

Oh yes, the Impossible Shot, as Devil fans may forever call it.

Holtz was held in reserve all of the first half, as Yudin figured Golden Valley (19-4-4) was going to play a physical, up-tempo game. He wanted fresh legs available.

Good call, coach …

Just 90 seconds after intermission, the junior forward intruded Cougar airspace, but had a difficult angle crashing for the end line to the left of goal.

Holtz was covered by two defenders, but off his left foot, in what first looked like a cross, came a screwball that bent past Valley keeper Francisco Cortez and landed in the upper right shelf.

“That was a big goal,” Yudin said. “If we don’t go up 4-0 there and they came back like they did, it would have been madness at the end.”

Yudin added that the Cougars “didn’t get to the semis without some good athletes.” Right after Holtz’s dagger, those “good athletes” started to exert themselves for Golden Valley.

The Cougars missed their next three shots, but at 44:34, a big scrum in front of the Davis goal resulted in a penalty kick for Byrne. When the senior captain converted, the Merced crowd of 300 got back into things.

With 11 minutes to go — and Golden Valley now outshooting its guests — Golbad launched a 30-yard comet that hit the crossbar behind leaping Blue Devil goalie Derek Pleasants.

The carom was kind to Golbad as it hit Pleasants and trickled in.

The Cougars played two very different halves, eschewing their ball-control game plan and sending volley after volley deep into the DHS attack zone after the break.

“We’ve got to do a better job on defense on Saturday,” Yudin said. “That second half, they just sent every ball deep on us.”

The Devils, now 17-2-4, allowed 21 shots to the Central California Conference runner-up. Davis took 14 attempts, but made three of its first five count.

Pleasants recorded seven saves, but was kept busy corralling at least a dozen other Cougar entry passes. The Blue Devils won the corner battle, 6-2.

Notes: After Nolan’s first three somersault throw-ins caused havoc in the box, Golden Valley put a jumper in front of the DHS acrobat. Nolan adjusted his toss and the Cougars mishandled it, resulting in a corner. That corner was converted when Bagheri found Gross for goal No. 2. … Medina, Lee LeVerrier, Anderson and Rutheiser joined Weiss and Matt Austin in playing lights-out defense in the first 40 minutes. But like Yudin says, there’s some cleanup to be done for Saturday.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or (530) 747-8047.

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DHS senior captain Ryan Gross dribbles during a playoff win earlier this week. On Thursday, Gross scored three first-half goals as the Blue Devils topped Golden Valley, 4-2, to earn a spot in Saturday’s section championship match. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise file photo

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