Morgan Hill Raider Pee Wees clip the Los Banos Eagles’ wings
The Morgan Hill Raider Pee Wees routed the Los Banos Eagles on Saturday at Britton Middle School.
After just one minute had ticked off the game clock, the Raiders had already found the end zone, thanks to Jordan Lozada. It would be the first touchdown of a long day for the Eagles’ defense.
On the ensuing kick-off, Raider Ritchie Martinez stripped the ball from an Eagle’s player and hauled it another 20-yards back into the promised land and a 14-0 Raider lead, thanks to an point after by Jonah Guary.
With just under four minutes in the first quarter, Lozada made another Raider run for touchdown around the offensive line of Kyle Villa, Martinez, Daniel Galli, Rhett Ramirez, Steven Villarrreal, Guary and Matthew Ruiz.
Refusing to relent on the Eagles, Jacob Brendle recovered a fumble in the Raider end zone for another score and 28-point lead.
Fumbles would plague the Eagle’s’offense, but benefit the stingy Raider defensive with Jordan Yetso being an active force. The Eagles were held to a scoreless 28-0.
The Raider Pee Wees had secured a playoff spot a week earlier as they dominated the Pacifica Sharks 38-6.
In that game, Ruiz led the Raiders to touchdown early in the first quarter, when quarterback Mikey Della Maggiore saw him in a perfect position to score.
A strong pass rush by James Chadband, Jonathan Molina, Jerry Jacobs, Ronnie Bryant, Curtis Theard, Trevor Thorne, Della Maggiore and Villa kept the tiger sharks gasping for air.
Matt Martin, Jose Anaya, Ruiz, Guary and Jordan Yetso also contributed to the strong defensive showing.
Lozada scored the second and third touchdowns for the Raiders. Ruiz recovered a fumble and powered his way back to the promised land. He ended the first half with an interception.
Della Maggiore connected with Gage Bryant for a 12-yard reception to start the Raider attack in the second half.
The Raider white offense ran by Rhett Ramirez, George Juarez, Chance Damron, David Salah, Issac Allen, Connor Porzio, Shawn Circuit, Michael Lemmon and Taylor Ricketts opened huge holes for running backs Eric Tracy and Ashton Thom to run the ball down the field, gaining great yardage and a touchdown by Blair Zerr.
The defense showed mercy in the fourth quarter allowing the Sharks to get on the board with a touchdown.
But Lozada would rub salt in the wound with another touchdown followed by a Guary kick to secure the victory 38-6.
Playoffs are scheduled to begin Oct. 29. A coin toss will determine if the Raiders play Cambrian Valley, West Valley or Gilroy.
Junior Pee Wee Cap Perfect Season with Shutout Victory
Nothing but the perfect season would be acceptable, needing a win to finish in the frst place seed and Division II Champs, Morgan Hill faced the playoff bound Division I Oak Grove Rangers and sealed the deal Saturday at Britton 32-0. Strong team play and lack of injuries kept the young Raiders’ dreams alive.
As usual, the defense showed its prowess giving up just 73 yards. Dominic Bejarano intercepted a pass and Tyler Pederson, Clayton Howard and Mitch Crowley all recovered fumbles. Leading tacklers were Tyler Lerma with nine and Franky Palmer with seven solo and two assists.
Pounding out 237 total yards and five touchdowns proved enough to subdue Oak Groves defense. Anthony Villarreal ran for 71 yards on 11 carries, two for touchdowns, and threw for 20 yards in the lopsided victory.
Back up quarterback Danny Saporito got 64 yards and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter while Lerma produced 41 yards on 12 touches and scored a touchdown.
Inside the red zone, Palmer had 26 yards and Derrick Taylor ran for 15 yards. Bejarano caught a deflected 18-yard pass for a score in the end zone with time running out in the first half.
Next week the playoffs start with Morgan Hill facing the No. 8 seed on the road in it’s first round bid for a Region Championship.
Mitey Mights Win Again
The Mitey Mite Raiders in their black home uniforms rolled out of the early morning fog in an eerie setting, Â perfect for a Halloween haunting.
Their 42-14 victory over Los Banos is sure to scare even the best of teams.
