Morgan Hill closes regular season at home this Sunday
MORGAN HILL — The Junior Pee Wee Raiders returned home Saturday and got back on track with a 15-2 victory against the Santa Cruz Lions at the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center.
It was defense at its best, with Ruben Piedra running the ball to the 48-yard line and Santa Cruz later recovering a fumble. The Sea Lions moved within scoring range, but were pushed back with a penalty following a nice stop by Billy Schroeder. The teams tread water through the remainder of a scoreless first quarter.
Morgan Hill (4-3 overall) had a big play of its own called back to start the second quarter. Paul Lomanto found the end zone on a run from 34 yards out, but a flag nullified the score.
Later in the period, Morgan Hill’s defense stepped up after the Raiders fumbled the ball away. The defensive line of Eric Payne, Tyler Souza, Alec Horne, Jared Luner, Sean Araiza, Nathan Comacho, Dylan Jud and Riley Owen kept the Morgan Hill crowd optimistic that another home win was within reach.
With minutes left before halftime, the Raiders botched a punt inside their own 10, and the Sea Lions scored a safety to lead 2-0 at the break.
Morgan Hill bounced back in the third quarter after D.J. Washington’s 50-yard kick-off and Luner’s tackle landed Santa Cruz at its own 1. The Raiders recovered a fumble at the 5, and Miles Kendrick threw a touchdown pass to Trevor Costello to put Morgan Hill on the scoreboard. Devon Buenrostro recovered a fumbled snap on the ensuing extra point and sprinted into the end zone for an improvised 1-point conversion, making it 7-2.
Niko Taylor kept the Raiders’ momentum going when he returned a punt to the 34-yard line to set up a touchdown run by Lomanto. Buenrostro added a 2-point conversion kick, pushing Morgan Hill ahead 15-2.
Fourth-quarter highlights for the Raiders included a Sea Lions’ fumble recovered by Taylor, a 17-yard catch-and-run by Jason Gomez, solid tackles by Souza and three first downs earned by Morgan Hill’s offense.
The Raiders close the regular season at home Sunday.
