The Morgan Hill Pop Warner Junior Midget Raiders battled back
from an early deficit to tie the Salinas Cardinals 6-6 and remain
unbeaten through two games
MORGAN HILL — The Morgan Hill Pop Warner Junior Midget Raiders battled back from an early deficit to tie the Salinas Cardinals 6-6 in the Outdoor Sports Center and remain unbeaten through two games.
For the second straight week, the Raiders offense was lead by Max Sanford who rushed for 82 yards in 11 carries. Maximo Zhang added 61 yards rushing on 10 carries and scored Morgan Hill’s only touchdown on a 2-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders front five of Josh Alaniz, Jonathan Freitas, Jared Freitas, Anthony Ditta and Billy Bennett created run holes the entire afternoon.
Morgan Hill (1-0-1) kept the Cardinals offense in check except for a long pass play that resulted in Salinas’ touchdown in the first quarter. Sanford and Zhang led the defense in tackles, and Noe Garcia and Grant Gluhaich provided strong support in the middle. On the outside, Elvis Bernal and Nicolas Secolo helped limit the Cardinals to few first downs.
The Raiders controlled time of possession, keeping the ball for more than 65 percent of the game. This is a great start to the season for a team that last year did not score a touchdown until its seventh game.
The Junior Midget Raiders will host Santa Cruz at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Outdoor Sports Center.
