Sonora Declawed The Escalon Cougars
Written by: Nick Stuart
The Sonora Wildcats opened up league play with a 49-14 win over the visiting Escalon Cougars. The Cougars have consistently been one of the toughest opponents in the Trans Valley League, but the Wildcats tonight showed that they were up to the challenge.
Operating primarily out of a shotgun offense, the Cougars looked set to score on a long series for their opening drive until an errant pass into tight coverage saw Steve Morefoot intercept the ball and return it for a touchdown. The Cougars answered with another long series, aided by some Wildcats’ penalties that tied the game at 7 points apiece. On their next possession, the Wildcats picked up big yards on some pitch plays, ending in a touchdown by running back Steven Olley. The Cougars turned the ball over on another interception that the Wildcats used to advance their lead to 21-7 with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Eli Ingalls. When the Cougars then failed to convert on fourth down, the Wildcats used the favorable field position to punch in another rushing touchdown, this time from running back Dallas Lattin. As the first half wound down, the Cougars benefited from a special teams penalty that moved them into Wildcats territory, resulting in another scoring drive that narrowed the Sonora lead to 28-14.
In the second half Sonora began an aggressive running strategy, trading out runs from Steven Olley and Dallas Lattin with Eli Ingalls rushing the ball as well. This allowed the Wildcats to take control of the time of possession, with each series taking off the maximum amount of time. Meanwhile, as a win moved out of reach for the Escalon Cougars, they were forced to attempt some long passes that the Wildcats were able to defend, and turned over the ball several times on downs. Cash Byington and Brody Speer both scored on rushing touchdowns. An additional touchdown was run in by backup quarterback Jeremy Snyder to close out the game, 49-14. Kicker Rigoberto Estrella went an impressive 7/7 for extra points.
The undefeated Sonora Wildcats are set to continue league play next week as they travel to Orestimba.
The Chicken Ranch Casino player of the game was awarded to Steven Olley for a solid performance at running back.
The Foust Heating and Air Hot Hit of the game was awarded to Dallas Lattin.
In other action, according to Calaveras Enterprise sports editor Guy Dossi, who covered the game, the Calaveras Red Hawks soared past Riverbank 63-6 in a homecoming rout.
