Second half keys victory in impressive 2019 debut
The varsity football Jaguars celebrated the start of the fall season in winning fashion on Friday, overcoming a slow start with a bruising second half effort to dismantle host Casa Grande, 44-21.
Windsor amassed 394 total yards, including 229 through the air and 165 on the ground, making for a successful 2019 debut for junior quarterback Billy Boyle. The first year signal caller completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 229 yards and four touchdowns, with three scoring tosses going to emerging junior receiver Nico Contreras.
Although the offense proved too much for the Gauchos, it may have been the Jags’ physical defensive unit that was key to the victory.
“Our defense definitely tightened up late in the second quarter and gave us good field position,” head coach Brad Stibi said. “That momentum change sparked our offense which allowed us to go ahead at the half.
The Jaguars (1-0) will be back in action this Friday, Aug. 30 when they visit Eureka in a 7:30 p.m. varsity kickoff.
Jags start slow, finish strong
The game had modest beginnings for Windsor, which was flagged numerous times in the first quarter for false starts and other penalties. Windsor knotted the contest at 7-7 in the second quarter with the first of three hook-ups from Boyle to junior receiver Nico Contreras, but trailed 14-7 late in the period when a bad snap on a Gauchos’ punt sailed into the end zone for a safety. Windsor capitalized on the next possession when Boyle connected on a 14-yard scoring pass to Landen Estrela. The two-point conversion try was good and Windsor led 17-14 at the half.
The second half belonged to the Jaguars, with Boyle hooking up with Contreras on another pair of touchdown strikes and running back Lorenzo Leon finding pay-dirt on another drive. The Windsor defense did the rest as the Jags powered to an eventual 44-21 victory.
“We played with a lot of enthusiasm but need to stay focused,” Stibi noted. “The things we need to fix are the amount of penalties we had.”
Leading ground-gainers for the Jaguars included Leon (12-64 yards rushing, TD), Jeremiah Pignataro (7-60 yards) and Joey Skinner (3-38 yards). Top pass catchers were Contreras (6-134 yards, 3 TDs), Leon (4-47 yards) and Estrela (4-27 yards, TD).
Leading tacklers were Oscar Mayorga (6 tackles, 1 assist), Estrela (5 tackles), Nico Zamora (5 tackles), Pignataro (4, 4), Julian Pell (4, 4), Christian Jernigan (3, 1), Gianni Domenichelli (3 tackles),Skinner (3 tackles) and Leon (2, 2).
