FORESTVILLE — The El Molino football team made school history on
Saturday, blanking visiting Kelseyville, 35-0 in the opening round
of the North Coast Section, Division-4 playoffs.
The victory, achieved in a driving rainstorm, was the first-ever
home playoff win for the Lions in the 46-year history of the
program and advanced them into the NCS quarterfinals this week.
The fifth-seeded Lions (7-4) will now focus on the next task at
hand — a Saturday, Nov. 27 clash at fourth-seeded Middletown.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Should El Molino advance, it will face the winner of the
Healdsburg-Fort Bragg game in the NCS semi-finals on Dec. 3 or 4.
Check the NCS website at www.cifncs.org for updated bracket
information.
The Lions didn’t have much time to savor the historic win over
Kelseyville, with a date with Middletown looming on the
horizon.
“Middletown is a very good team with a lot of talent,” said El
Mo head coach Mike Roan. “They’re 10-1 and very physical, with a
couple of good running backs and a solid defense. They present a
big challenge this week.”
Saturday’s meeting with Kelseyville was played in a virtual
monsoon, with heavy rain turning the El Molino field into a
quagmire. The Lions wore the mud like a badge of honor, turning up
the heat with a ferocious running game that churned up over 300
yards.
At the forefront of El Mo’s rushing success stood senior running
back Tommy Krausmann, who returned from the disabled list after
suffering a separated shoulder on Oct. 15. Krausmann never skipped
a beat, piling up 185 yards on 26 carries in a triumphant return to
the gridiron.
“Getting Tommy back gave us a huge lift,” noted Roan. “He stayed
in tune with the team during his rehab and worked hard to get back
on the field. He’s a great kid and his teammates were happy to have
him back.”
Lions play mud ball
The Lions rewarded several hundred hearty fans against
Kelseyville, breaking a scoreless tie in the second quarter with
10-play, a 63-yard march that culminated in a one-yard touchdown
dive by quarterback Mike Pierson. Taylor Davis added the PAT kick
and the Lions led 7-0. Pierson had his team on the move again
midway through the second period, a drive that ended with a
four-yard scoring plunge from Chet “The Jet” Lambert for a 14-0
bulge at the break.
While the Knights struggled to hang onto the football (8
turnovers), the Lions busted it wide open in the third quarter.
Lambert found pay-dirt on his second and third touchdown runs of
the night, the last pair on 20 and 65-yard runs to give the Lions a
commanding, 28-0 advantage by the end of three. El Mo capped the
rout with a late score in garbage time en route to a 35-0 win.
Pierson did a nice job in horrendous conditions, completing
three of 13 passes for 54 yards, with one touchdown on the ground.
In addition to Krausmann’s 185 yard night, Lambert amassed 125
yards on 11 carries and three scores. Receiver Joe Douglass had two
catches for 28 yards.
Anchoring a stout El Mo defensive unit were Douglass (5 tackles,
FR), Jared Garner (7 tackles, FR), and Lambert (3 tackles, blocked
punt, INT).
