Analy football comes out strong; El Molino shows promise

West County football teams kicked off the pre-season with mixed
results last week, as the Tigers ran rough-shod over Terra Linda,
42-20, while the Lions dropped a 10-7 heartbreaker to Berean
Christian.
This week, El Molino (0-1) plays host to Fortuna this Friday,
Sept. 11 (5/7:30 p.m.), while Analy (1-0) travels to Piner on
Saturday, Sept. 12 (10 a.m./1 p.m.).
Young Tigers serve notice
Analy enjoyed a tremendous grid opener at Karlson Field, rolling
up nearly 500 yards in total offense against an over-matched Terra
Linda squad.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Zanutto led the charge in what
amounted to a terrific varsity debut, throwing for 222 yards and
five touchdowns. The strong-armed signal-caller piled up virtually
all of his statistics in a wide-open first half that ended with the
Tigers up 42-7.
“Jake did what we were hoping he’d do,” said head coach Dan
Bourdon. “The offensive line gave him all day to throw and he made
good decisions. It always helps when your team starts fast and gets
a big early lead.”
The Tiger playmakers came up big, as all-purpose junior Julian
Titus-Patino chipped in five receptions for 115 yards and a pair of
scores, while senior receiver Chris Bostock hauled in four catches
for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Cooper Maloney
led the ground attack with seven carries for a team-high 55 yards,
while senior Nick Calkins rushed six times for 34 yards and a
touchdown.
Senior Sal Torres did a great job handling the punting (3-93
yards) and kicking chores, averaging over 56 yards per kickoff and
three touchbacks.
Although quick to point out that Analy’s success had a lot to do
with the level of competition, the Tiger brain-trust was more than
pleased with the showing.
“We’ve got a lot of unproven guys so we weren’t sure what to
expect in our first game,” noted Bourdon. “Overall, I thought the
team played real well. Our defense helped us out quite a bit,
especially with the interceptions.”
Pulling down picks for the Tigers were Sal Torres, Bo Swift, and
sophomore Mark Adams. Defensive lineman Brandon Riebli wreaked
havoc all night, finishing up with a tackle, three assists, and a
pair of sacks. Other strong defensive efforts came from: Matt
Michelsen (2 tackles, 7 assists, sack), James Libby (3 tackles, 5
assists), Issak Olsen (2 tackles, 2 assists), Torres (tackle, 4
assists, INT) and a pair of tackles from Kui Fuivia, and Sean
Benfield.
Scoring Summary (Analy 42, Terra Linda 20)
1st quarter
Analy- 9:45 Bostock from Zanutto 6 yard pass, Torres kick
Analy- 8:54 Beretta from Zanutto 19 yards, Torres kick
Analy- 4:02 Titus-Patino from Zanutto 72 yards, Torres kick
2nd quarter
Analy-11:38 Bostock from Zanutto 9 yard pass, Torres kick
TL- 10:13 Christian Mandi from Dan Higgens 15 yard pass Galvin
kick
Analy- 6:34 Calkins 10 yard run, Calkins two-point conversion
run
Analy- 1:22 Titus-Patino from Zanutto 15 yard pass, kick
failed
4th quarter
TL- 10:08 Carlos Aguerreber 1 yard run, Galvin kick
TL- 4:38 Sasha Steinberg from Higgens 34 yard pass, kick
failed
Lions fall to Berean Christian
The start of the fall campaign did not go as scripted from a
Lion’s perspective, as BC return man Chris Morgan took the opening
kickoff and raced 90 yards for a touchdown.
A few minutes later Berean picked off El Mo quarterback Michael
Pierson, with the possession ending in a 28-yard field goal and a
10-0 lead. The visitors would make the early lead stand up, holding
off a second-half El Mo rally that fell agonizingly short in the
fourth quarter.
“It’s frustrating because we controlled the game from midway
through the first quarter on,” said Lion’s coach Mike Roan. “We
were able to move the ball well but mistakes here and there killed
us. Overall, our defense did a great job.”
El Mo shook off a sluggish, 10-0 first half deficit to seize
momentum in the third quarter. The Lions found pay-dirt when a
sustained, nine-play drive resulted in a 25-yard touchdown strike
from Pierson to junior big-play receiver Joe Douglass. Toree Smith
added the PAT boot and El Mo trailed, 10-7.
The game hung in the balance late in the fourth when the Lions
drove inside the Berean Christian five-yard line, but the drive
stalled and Roan called on the field goal unit. The kick was
blocked and the visitors escaped with a 10-7 victory.
Pierson finished off a solid second half 18-34 for 191 yards
passing and a touchdown.
Senior running back Quante Brinson turned in a sparkling night
with 13 rushes for 113 yards. Top receivers were: Douglass (5-105
yards,TD), sophomore Chet Lambert (4-45 yards), and TJ Monticello
(4-29 yards).
Leading defenders included: Ben Rhoades (3 tackles, assist, FR),
Douglass (2 tackles, 4 assists), Lambert (2 tackles, 3 assists),
Monticello (1 tackle, 4 assists), Jordan Nordby (tackle, assist,
INT), Brinson (2 tackles, 2 assists), and three assists from Hayden
Gutsch, and Jared Garner.
Scoring summary (Berean Christian 10, El Molino 7)
1st quarter
BC- Morgan 90 yard kickoff return, PAT kick
BC- Morgan 28-yard field goal
3rd quarter
EM – Douglass 25-yard pass from Pierson, Smith kick.