The Cupertino Courier
Sports
Rogers, Backo top 100 yards for Mustangs
By DICK SPARRER
If not for their numbers, it would be difficult to tell Kevin Rogers and Brian Backo apart when they're wearing their Homestead football uniforms.
They're both about the same size--Rogers is 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, Backo is 5-foot-7, 170. They're both quick, shifty runners. And they both have power that belies their size.
So when the Mustangs opened the season last Friday night against Saratoga at Fremont's Diesner Field, it tough to see the difference between the No. 32 Rogers and the No. 22 Backo--especially in their performances.
Rogers carried 21 times for 113 yards and Backo ran 14 times for 104 to account for most of Homestead's 318 yards of total offense in the non-league clash with the Falcons. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, it wasn't enough.
Saratoga's matched Homestead's 318 yards and parlayed it into a 24-21 win in the season opener.
Three turnovers proved costly for the Mustangs, who certainly had their chances to win the game. Saratoga intercepted a pass in the end zone and recovered a fumble at its own 1-yard line to foil two Homestead scoring threats. The Mustangs also had a field goal attempt hit the crossbar, a big play in a game decided by just three points.
Saratoga actually jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead with a touchdown and a field goal in the first half of the first quarter.
Homestead came to drive the ball down the field, only to miss a 32-yard field goal try. A play later, Dominic Chapot recovered a fumble to give the Mustangs a great opportunity at the Saratoga 15-yard-line. Four plays later, though, a fourth down pass was picked off in the end zone.
Once more the Falcons took over at their own 20, but once more they fumbled. This time it was Evan Matthews forcing a fumble that was recovered by Matt Power at the 11. On the next play Backo raced 11 yards for a touchdown and Andrew Galen kicked the extra point to cut the lead to 10-7.
Big plays by Phillip Birton and Josh Laber forced the Falcons to punt the ball away and the Mustangs were in business again. They drove to the Saratoga 20 but fumbled the ball away.
The Falcons took advantage of the turnover to score again, moving out to a 17-7 lead with 3:09 left in the half. But the Mustangs battled back with a TD before intermission to go into the locker room down just 17-14.
Matthews returned the Saratoga kick-off 12 yards to the Homestead 31 to get the touchdown drive started. Rex Blodgett, Jr. tossed 19 yards to Backo, then Backo ran for 11 more to the Saratoga 39.
Blodgett went for eight yards before Shamir Ross raced 21 yards to give Homestead a first and goal at the 10.
Rogers gained eight yards before blasting over the right side for the final two yards and the score. Galen's second kick trimmed the lead to 17-14.
The clubs traded possessions in the second half before Saratoga scored again on the second touchdown pass of the night from Kevin Sieczkarek to Alex Lagemann, the talented receiver who has already verbally committed to UC-Berkeley.
But there was no quit in the Mustangs in this season opener. Blodgett tossed to Backo for five yards and to Rogers for seven for a first down before Ross and Rogers put together back-to-back 20-yard runs.
Ross capped the 56-yard drive with a 4-yard TD blast, and Galen's kick trimmed the lead to 24-21 with 6:05 left to play.
Saratoga managed to pick up four first downs, though, holding onto to the football long enough to run out the clock to clinch the win.
Blodgett ended up hitting on 3 of 7 passes for 31 yards, but the story of the night offensively for the Mustangs was the ground attack. Supporting Rogers and Backo was Ross, who carried nine times for 70 yards.
The offensive line of tackles Laber and Birton, guards Jonathon Pique and Power and center Jeff Neale.
Birton was the tackling leader with seven, Chapot, Backo and John daSilva had five each. Matthews was close behind with four and Pique, Ross, Laber and Jeff Arellano finished with three tackles each. Rogers, Power, Alex Lumidao, Galen and Matt Luan were also in on tackles.
Homestead will return to Diesner this week when the Mustangs host Branham on Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m., in another non-league game.
