West County high school football report
Week two of the high school football schedule was a tale of two distinctly different outcomes for West County teams, as El Molino notched its first win of the campaign in a 40-0 rout over Fort Bragg, while Analy came out on the short end of a 48-3 shellacking at Rancho Cotate.
Both teams will be back in action this Friday, Sept. 8 when the Tigers (1-1) play host to North Bay power Cardinal Newman and the Lions (1-1) entertain Orestimba. Game times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Lions maul Timberwolves
El Molino was out to avenge a 40-13 loss at the hands of Fort Bragg last year when it took the field for Friday’s non-league home tilt, and did just that in an outstanding overall outing.
Senior return man Jack Fricker put his team in the lead in the opening period when he fielded a punt and took it 70 yards to the house for a 6-0 lead. Junior quarterback Jacob Sani put the Lions up by two scores in the second quarter on a 10-yard keeper, followed by a point after boot from Fricker as El Mo led 13-0 at the half.
The El Molino defensive unit continued to throttle the T-Wolves in the second half, with Fricker putting together a personal highlight reel in the best game of his high school career. The versatile senior scored on a pair of receiving touchdowns from Sani, and found pay-dirt on another kick return that put the game out of reach.
The Lions added a touchdown run from Sam Wilson-Mietz en route to a 40-0 romp. Wilson and senior Sire Clark each chipped in a sack on defense for El Molino.
“Our offense struggled in the first half but got it going in the second,” El Mo head coach Randy Parmeter said.
Tigers’ tough night at the “Ranch”
Analy saw its two-game win streak over Rancho Cotate snapped in Friday’s highly anticipated match-up of North Bay juggernauts, as the Tigers had no answer for the Cougars’ high octane offense.
Rancho senior quarterback Jake Simmons was nearly unstoppable in the first quarter, leading his team on four straight scoring drives resulting in a 27-0 lead at the end of one. The carnage continued in the second as the Cougars scored another pair of touchdowns for an insurmountable 41-0 cushion at the break.
The Tigers avoided the shutout on a second-half field goal from kicker Miguel Escamilla, but Rancho Cotate owned the night on its way to a 48-3 rout.
“Rancho was a very solid, well rounded team,” Tigers’ head coach James Foster reported. “They had a lot of different guys making plays for them and we were never able to get anything going for ourselves. It was a learning experience for our guys and we have to use this loss as motivation to keep improving,” he added.
Field dedication ceremony on tap
Fans are encouraged to wear their colors this Friday, Sept. 8 when Analy formally renames its newly renovated digs to Chip Castleberry Stadium at Karlson Field. The dedication ceremony is a tribute to 1965 Analy alum, longtime coach and Tigers’ hall of famer Chip Castleberry. The ceremony will take place at halftime.
