THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A CORRECTED FINAL SCORE FOR UPPER LAKE.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three Clear Lake running backs combined for 298 yards rushing as the Cardinals overcame a sloppy first quarter and went on to defeat South Fork, 38-7, Friday night at Lakeport.
“We came out and shot ourselves in the foot,” Cardinal assistant coach Mike Hansen said, referring to three early turnovers, including a pair of Kenny Henninger interceptions – one in the South Fork end zone and another inside the 30-yard line. Penalties, which totaled 105 yards by night’s end, also stymied the Cards.
But the Clear Lake defense, as is its custom of late, shut down South Fork’s spread offense – at least until the Cardinal offense got into gear.
Andre Buendia gained 103 yards on 19 carries, Vince Rave had 99 yards on 13 carries and Luke Punzalan added 96 yards on 12 carries and scored three second-half touchdowns as Clear Lake took a 38-0 lead in the fourth quarter before South Fork got on the board with a 67-yard touchdown pass from Joey Wittlake to brother Keith Wittlake.
Henninger had an off-night – at least compared to his marvelously efficient outing the previous week, when he connected on 4 of 5 passes for 57 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-0 win over Stellar Prep.
On Friday the junior quarterback recovered from the two early interceptions and finished with 7 completions in 14 attempts for 63 yards and a touchdown on a 2-yard pass to Zuhuri Manley, who had 3 catches on the night, as did David Mansell.
Clear Lake, 0-3 at this time last season, takes a 2-1 record into its league opener Friday at Fort Bragg.
Portola, 29; Upper Lake, 26
Upper Lake, which made a statement in its early games last season that included a win over Middletown, took a 3-0 record into its league opener – then contended for the NCL II title and made the NCS playoffs.
The Cougars aren’t wielding that kind of momentum this time around.
Portola High, avenging a 47-14 loss at Upper Lake last year, survived the Cougars’ fourth-quarter rally for a 29-26 non-league victory Friday night at Portola.
It was the second straight loss for the Cougars, who’ll take a 1-2 record into their NCL II/Bay Football opener Friday against an undefeated California School for the Deaf team. Upper Lake, trailing 29-14 going into the fourth quarter, scored on Travis Coleman’s 15-yard pass to Ward Beecher with 4:46 remaining that, after a failed conversion run, cut Portola’s lead to 29-20.
The Cougars scored again with 27 seconds left on a 33-yard run by Coleman that made it 29-26, but any hope for an amazing comeback victory was dashed when Portola recovered UL’s onside kick. (The score reported in an earlier version of the Upper Lake-Portola game story was incorrect.)
Kelseyville, 38; Esparto, 0
There’s nothing quite like a winning streak to lift the spirits of a team – especially if it’s been a couple of years since it experienced one.
But the thrill of Kelseyville’s second straight win, a 36-0 non-league victory over Esparto Friday night at Kelseyville, was tempered by injuries to quarterback John Mark Reagan and fullback Dasan Vasquez.
Robert McLean rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns and the Knights’ defense played its best game of the season in their final tune-up before opening NCL I play Friday at Willits.
McLean and Kevin Duty scored two touchdowns apiece in the first half as Kelseyville (2-1) took a 29-0 lead, McLean scoring on runs of 17 and 3 yards and Duty scoring on a 70-yard scamper and a 5-yard run. The loss dropped Esparto’s record to 0-4.
Reagan suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter and then Vasquez went down with an ankle injury. Kelseyville coach Rob Ishihara said Reagan, who led the Knights in rushing, passing and scoring going into the game, could miss “at least two weeks.” Vasquez’s injury, at least initially, didn’t appear as serious.
McLean added a touchdown on a 3-yard run in the third quarter and also had a pair of two-point conversions. Duty rushed for 94 yards on the night.
Ishihara said reserve QB Jacob Martinez did a good job filling in for Reagan.
Middletown, 38; El Molino, 0
Middletown High (2-1) jumped to a 32-0 halftime lead and went on to defeat El Molino, 38-0, Friday night at Forestville.
Austin Benson, who rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns in Monday’s 28-8 victory over Upper Lake, finished with 116 yards on only seven carries, including touchdown runs of 57 and 5 yards. Benson also scored on a 63-yard pass from quarterback Ben Pike.
Pike hit 6 of 8 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, the second one on a 20-yard pass to Jared Carrillo.
Javier Otero, up from the JV team to fill in for Tyler Drew, who hurt his ankle in the Upper Lake game, also scored on a 5-yard run in the Mustangs’ final game before opening league at home against Lower Lake on Friday.
The Mustang defense forced four turnovers, including a pair of Anthonie Gusman interceptions, as El Molino (0-4) remained scoreless on the season.
Valley Christian, 49; Lower Lake, 0
Valley Christian of Dublin, the No. 2-ranked Div. V team in the North Coast Section, jumped to a 28-0 halftime lead and went on to a 49-0 victory Friday at Lower Lake.
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