Big plays propel Valley Christian
A year after losing in Mountain View, No. 9 Valley Christian started off the 2017 West Catholic Athletic League campaign with a 28-21 win over No. 4 St. Francis. The victory makes it three in a row for the Warriors after a season opening loss at Manteca.
Both programs rely on strong defenses and timely big plays, mostly in the ground game from the offense. The Warriors got the two biggest ones with an 80 yard touchdown run from senior Charlie Bostic to make it 14-7 and then a 90 yard score from senior D’Angelo McKenzie (on his first carry of the game) to make it 28-14 with 6:19 left. The two runs responded to Lancers’ touchdowns.
The Warriors also pressured St. Francis quarterback Reed Vettel throughout the night to halt much of the Lancers’ momentum.
While the running game is the staple for Valley Christian and St. Francis, both teams hit long passes for touchdowns after missing earlier chances. Juan Turner had a well thrown post to Alton Julian for the Warriors. Vettel hit Evan Williams down the right side to draw the Lancers within seven at 28-21 with less than two minutes left.
Valley Christian travels to St. Ignatius on September 30. St. Francis hosts Sacred Heart Cathedral on September 29.
Quick takes from Week 4
No. 6 Freedom beat No. 13 Bishop O’Dowd 42-21 to make it two straight in the matchup for the Falcons. They remain one of the top teams in the region after quarterback Joey Aguilar threw four touchdowns and ran for another.
No. 3 Pittsburg led Vacaville 7-6 at halftime before scoring the first 28 points in the second half in a 35-13 win. The Pirates had four players score rushing touchdowns, including quarterback Justin Boyd.
No. 17 Granite Bay beat Del Oro 28-21 in Loomis to stay undefeated at 5-0. Evan Tattersall rushed for three touchdowns (giving him seven on the year) as the Grizzlies never trailed. Next up for Granite Bay is Folsom at home on September 29.
In a surprise, Franklin-Elk Grove beat Grant 17-9 for its first win over the Pacers since 2012 including shutout losses in 2015 and 2016. . Daniel Ross and Jalen Lampley each had touchdown runs for the Wildcats.
No. 10 Central Catholic beat No. 8 Manteca 31-14 as the Raiders continue to roll after starting the year unranked. The Raiders scored 21 straight points to grab a 28-7 advantage. They are giving up nine points per game.
Mitty got the game winning touchdown with 14 seconds left to beat Bellarmine 14-7 at San Jose City College. The Monarchs have won three straight since losing to Sacramento. The Bells have lost two straight with Serra coming in next week.
