Morgan Hill The Sobrato Bulldogs maintained their undefeated
league record and took sole possession of first place at home in
the West Valley division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with
a 42-19 win over Yerba Buena Saturday.
Morgan Hill
The Sobrato Bulldogs maintained their undefeated league record and took sole possession of first place at home in the West Valley division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with a 42-19 win over Yerba Buena Saturday.
Senior Jo Jo Anaya had a standout game on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs with five receptions for 125 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and eight solo tackles.
“It was a big homecoming win for the senior,” head coach Dan Brown said referring to Anaya.
His first touchdown came on a 32-yard run in the first quarter, and his second came on an 18-yard reception from junior quarterback Erick Levell.
Level finished the game 5 of 8 passing for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Adding to the scoring in the first half, senior Steven Gutierrez had a two-yard touchdown run, and junior Anthony Zizzo had an eight-yard touchdown run.
Zizzo had nine carries for 84 yards.
“There were a lot of big plays and a lot of excitement,” Brown said. “We were balanced on offense, and we got everybody involved.”
In the second half, Gutierrez scored again from the ground, and then sophomore kicker Adam Guerra made a 42-yard field goal (his longest field goal of the season).
Junior backup quarterback Steve Sorce played the whole second half for the Bulldogs, and finished 2 of 5 passing for 14 yards, and a touchdown.
Sorce hit senior tight end Gerome Warren with a 10-yard pass for the touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“Sorce went in there fired up,” Brown said. “He showed good moxie because he tried to hit who was hot.”
On his first attempt, Sorce threw a pass to Anaya, who was running a backside post, but the ball was under thrown.
Turn to Bulldogs/B3
On defense the Bulldogs had four interceptions and eight sacks.
With a growing lead, Brown brought his second- and third-unit players into the game to play in the fourth quarter.
“Usually you leave the defense in there because you want to be solid on defense, but it was homecoming, so we gave some kids a chance,” Brown said.
The Bulldogs gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but that would not be enough for the Warriors to catch up.
“We were glad to see Steven Sorce playing quarterback in the second half,” Brown said. “And it was (junior) Nick Hagiperos’ first game back.”
Hagiperos has sat out every game with a shoulder injury he suffered at the end of last season.
“He gives us a little more stoutness at the outside linebacker position,” Brown said. “And he allows Mark Borland to move to inside backer.”
Senior inside linebacker and defensive captain Adrian Alcantara was selected as homecoming king, but the game kept him out of the court.
Fortunately, junior and team equipment manager Ian Sandberg stepped in for Alcantara.
“He always helps us out,” Brown said.
Sobrato’s win and Andrew Hill’s 21-0 loss to Prospect over the weekend put the Bulldogs in sole possession of first place in their division.
“This is the first time in Sobrato history that we have a winning record and are in sole possession of first place,” Brown said. “It’s a goal that we set and we believed we could reach, and were taking it one week at a time.”
Sobrato hosts Andrew Hill (3-1) next Friday in what could be the most important game of the season for both teams.
“Andrew Hill was the preseason league favorite, but we beat them last year,” Brown said. “‘We’re still trying to establish an identity and it’s starting to escalate now. You can feel the emotion and there’s a very positive atmosphere that’s taking place.”
Andrew Hill’s star running back AJ Ellis is the leading Central Coast Section rusher and scorer with 17 touchdowns on the season, and could post a big hurdle for the Bulldogs.
“The offense goes through him,” Brown said. “He’s a slasher and he’s one of the premier backs in the section so we definitely have to stop him.”
