Tigers outgunned by Newman, Lions edged by Orestimba
It was a rough week on the pre-league gridiron for West County high school football teams, with Analy and El Molino weathering losses in a pair of road skirmishes.
The Tigers (2-1) suffered their first setback of the 2016 campaign in wild 42-26 shootout at Cardinal Newman, while the Lions (1-2) watched a late lead disappear in a 24-21 loss at Orestimba.
Both teams will be back on the field this Friday, Sept. 16 when Analy plays host to Acalanes and El Molino entertains Ferndale. Kickoff times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Tigers in a shootout
The Sept. 9 meeting between Analy and Cardinal Newman took on a playoff atmosphere, and nearly lived up to the hype as the teams battled in what was billed as the game of the year.
For the second straight week, the Analy defense yielded more than 40 points, but this time around the Tigers would not out-score their opponent. Newman senior quarterback Jordon Brookshire turned the game into a personal highlight reel, rushing for five touchdowns to lead a potent ground attack.
Although a disappointing outcome for Analy, the Tigers did come away with some positives against a championship caliber opponent.
“We didn’t execute early in the game and that got us in a hole we couldn’t get out of,” Analy head coach Dan Bourdon said. “Newman was more physical than we were and controlled the line of scrimmage. But I was proud of the way our guys kept battling when we fell down a few scores early.”
The Cardinals drew first blood early in the opening period when Brookshire directed a drive culminating in a 6-yard quarterback keeper for a 7-0 lead. Trailing 14-0, the Tigers got on the board late in the quarter when running back Osiris Zamora took a short pass from quarterback Jack Newman and raced 60-yards to the house to make it 14-7 Newman at the end of one.
The Cardinals continued to pound the ball in the second quarter, finishing off another scoring drive with a one-yard plunge from Brookshire to grab a 21-6 lead at the half.
Down 28-6 in the third quarter, the Tigers found pay-dirt when Newman found receiver Spencer Vogel on a 26-yard touchdown strike to cut the deficit to 28-12. The Cardinals answered the score with another 8-yard scoring run from Brookshire to make it 35-12 at the end of three.
Analy refused to go quietly in the final period, as Zamora capped a drive with a 3-yard scoring dive. The Tigers would tally the game’s final points with time winding down, as Kyle Johnson returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown as Newman hung on for a 42-26 win.
Jack Newman finished up a solid night under center, completing 21 of 30 pass attempts for 341 yards and two touchdowns. Other offensive standouts were Zamora (14-18 yards rushing, TD, 3-57 yards receiving, TD), Ross Simmons (4-104 yards receiving), Eric Bendyk (9-88 yards receiving), Spencer Vogel (2-35 yards receiving, TD), Carson Pforsich (2-51 yards receiving) and Todd Noonan (1-6 yards receiving).
Lions fall on late
field goal
El Molino deserved a better fate in their Sept. 9 trip to Orestimba (Newman, California), controlling the game and scoreboard for most of the night before a last second field goal did them in.
The Lions drew first blood in the opening half when junior quarterback Avery Ransome led a march culminating in a 3-yard scoring burst from senior running back Alex Radia. The extra point was no good and El Mo led 6-0. The Lions cashed in again when Ransome found Daniel Diaz on a 10-yard touchdown pass, followed by a Jack Fricker kick for a 13-7 lead.
The score remained unchanged until the Warriors mounted a 65-yard drive with five minutes left in the fourth, resulting in a go-ahead score to make it 14-13. Disaster struck on the Lion’s next possession, as the Warriors pounced on a fumbled El Mo snap in the end zone to go up 21-13.
In a wild finish, Ransome found freshman receiver Jalen Hall on a 64-yard touchdown bomb, and running back Carmelo Salas ran in the ensuing 2-point conversion as the Lions tied the game at 21-all.
The teams traded punts on their next possessions, but the Warriors mounted one last drive, converting on a fourth and 12 to run the ball to the El Molino 1-yard line. With one second left, Orestimba kicked an 18-yard field goal to notch a 24-21 win.
