The Dos Pueblos defense was overpowering against visiting Cabrillo on Friday night, forcing eight turnovers en route to a thunderous 65-0 victory at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
Defensive back Michael Elbert picked off two Conquistador passes and tailback Erick Lopez rushed through to the end zone on two dive plays to lead the Charger attack. Dos Pueblos capitalized on a slew of Conquistador turnovers that allowed it to start deep in Cabrillo territory for most of its possessions.
“We did the same thing we always do,” Chargers head coach Nate Mendoza said proudly after the win. “We tried to have a lot of sessions in practices where our guys would work on stripping the ball.”
The sizable Dos Pueblos defensive line was active in doing just that, forcing Conquistador ball carriers into numerous fumbles that fueled the offense. By halftime, the Chargers, led 44-0.
Mendoza emphasized that his players continue to work hard in the second half, but not to run up the score.
“The main focus was getting our guys on the field and getting them time to play,” he said.
Another Charger highlight came early in the third quarter, when backup quarterback Mason Boelter (who relieved starter Jake Ramirez after an excellent first half) threw quickly after the snap to receiver Baylor Huyck, who broke past a few flailing safeties for a 62-yard touchdown. It was a rare big offensive play for the Chargers, who relied mostly on an overpowering defensive effort to dominate the Conquistadors.
Mendoza said he was most proud of his team’s zero turnovers compared to the five it had in a loss to San Juan Hills last week. The only interruption to the team’s attack came between the first and second quarter, when a small drone flying in the night sky above the players — a violation of CIF rules — caused a 10-minute delay to the game.
First-year Cabrillo head coach A.J. Pateras was visibly — and audibly — frustrated as his offense sputtered through turnover after turnover in the first half.
“We’re a young team — we have nine seniors, so a lot of these things are new things for our kids,” Pateras said. “It’s just about teaching habits and getting them to believe it and trust it. And challenging them to care.”
— Noozhawk intern Shomik Mukherjee can be reached at smukherjee@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.