The Sweetwater Red Devils were up to top form in last Friday’s season opener against the visiting Santa Fe Christian Eagles, rushing for 343 yards while attempting just one pass.
It added up to an impressive 19-0 non-league victory. In scoring the team’s ninth consecutive win in games dating to last season, Antonio Garcia, Andrew Wright and Chris Amon each scored on touchdown runs while the Sweetwater defense also proved strong with one fumble recovery and one blocked field goal attempt.
Wright led the Red Devils with 107 yards on nine carries, busting loose for a 49-yard gain at one point. Garcia rushed 10 times for 102 yards, with a longest carry of 25 yards.
Amon was next with 36 yards on seven carries. His one pass attempt in the game fell incomplete.
Garcia opened scoring in the game on a five-yard run in the first quarter and Amon doubled the SuHi edge to 12-0 on a one-yard run in the third quarter. Wright solidified the Devils’ lead by scoring on a 37-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Wright added 16 punt return yards to finish the game with 123 all-purpose yards. He also received credit for blocking an SFC field goal attempt.
Matt Marshall and Garcia led the SuHi defense with eight tackles each while teammate James Zarate had seven stops. Kevin Mendoza had one sack for 11 yards while Zarate recovered one fumble and Cecilio Portillo was credited with one pass deflection.
Sweetwater’s defense was ferocious. The Devils limited the Eagles to 50 passing yards (five completions in 15 attempts) and 83 rushing yards on 35 carries. The visitors averaged just 2.4 yards per carry.
Sweetwater hosts Crawford this Friday in a non-league match-up. The Colts are coming off a 49-12 non-league loss at Orange Glen.
In other games last Friday:
Otay Ranch 24, Valhalla 11
The visiting Mustangs gave new head coach Lance Christensen a win in his first game at the helm by capitalizing on opportunistic defensive plays and outlasting the Norsemen’s high-tempo offensive scheme.
Sam Stephens had two interceptions and teammate Jensen Peterson scored on a 30-yard pick to lead the Otay Ranch defense.
Offensively, the Mustangs received touchdowns from quarterback Arturo Saenz and running back Emilio Razo. The Mustangs, who piled up more than 340 yards in total offense, also soared on a 22-yard field goal by Alec Cortez.
Saenz passed for 143 yards, with Adrian Rodriguez totaling 116 receiving yards. Dorsey Furlow had 119 rushing yards.
Olympian 21, Mt. Carmel 17
The Eagles turned the tables on the host Sundevils with a late scoring drive to claim the non-league win. Gary Cannon hit receiver Michael Hamilton on a 40-yard scoring pass with less than two minutes to play to erase a four-point Mt. Carmel lead. Olympian totaled 368 rushing yards to otherwise dominate its opponent.
Cannon rushed eight times for 139 yards and passed for an additional 59 yards, scoring once on the ground, while sophomore Noah Lacsina collected 109 rushing yards on 17 carries. Will Lampkin had eight carries for 67 yards and scored on a touchdown run.
Bradley Erickson led the Eagles defensively with 12 tackles. He and teammate Marcelo Knox each had two sacks, and Olympian had five overall as Isreal De Leon also had one sack.
Mater Dei Catholic 30, Kearny 6
The Crusaders bolted to a 30-0 lead over the Komets in a non-league game played at Balboa Stadium. Chris Raitano threw scoring passes to Donovan Williams and David Bracamonte while Luis Victoria scored on a pair of touchdown runs to pace the offense while Conner Finnestad led the MDC defense with eight tackles and one sack. Williams also had an interception return for 27 yards.
San Ysidro 19, Escondido Charter 7
The host Cougars took a 19-0 lead on touchdown runs by Oscar Fausto, Corey Maddox and Franklin Forbes.
Montgomery 44, Cardenas Federal Prep 0
Charles Crawford rushed for 200 yards and scored four touchdowns, including three rushing TDs, to lead the host Aztecs, who totaled 482 yards in total offense against the Tijuana team. Richard Parker and Calvin Cadua also scored rushing touchdowns while quarterback Nate Aragon passed for 172 yards and one touchdown to Jermaine Murray.
Crawford amassed 332 yards in all-purpose yards by adding 132 yards on two punt returns, including one touchdown.
Jorge Ortiz led the Montgomery defense with 14 tackles and one fumble recovery while David Brown, who had 12 tackles, collected 2.5 sacks.
