Saratoga News
Sports
Blakley drills 51-yard field goal, but Warriors fall 40-13 to Lions
By Brad Wall
The Westmont Warriors faced a tough challenge in the Lincoln Lions and played them tough and for the first quarter before the Lions powerful ground game finally overwhelmed the Warriors en route to a 40-13 victory.
"I thought we played well at times," said Warriors head coach Tony Santos. "But against Lincoln, you have to play well all the time."
For much of the game, the Warriors best weapon was standout kicker Kevin Blakley, whom Santos calls the best kicker in the section. Blakley opened up the scoring for the Warriors by booming a 45-yard field goal, but that was just an appetizer for his next field goal attempt.
The Lions ground attack started to take over the game in the second quarter and the Warriors found themselves trailing 20-3. After a Warriors drive stalled at the Lions 34-yard line, Westmont again turned to Blakley.
Blakley calmly stepped into the kick and booted the ball through the night sky, drilling a school-record 51-yard field goal.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, that kick would be their scoring highlight until late in the fourth quarter as the Lions rushing attack dominated the game.
The Lions racked up an impressive 423 yards on the ground.
Despite what the score may indicate, the Warriors played relatively mistake-free football as they gave up no sacks or turnovers and only committed five penalties.
Santos said he felt the Warriors ran the ball well and the statistics back him up as the Warriors running game showed promise in defeat. Running backs Trevor Vlay, Matt Bradley and D.J. Gregg combined for almost 200 yards on the ground.
Warriors quarterbacks Cannon Bernarding and Joey Carolan combined to go 4 of 9 for 38 yards. Carolan connected with wide receiver Phillippe Matteini for a 14-yard touchdown with 2:43 left in the game for the Warriors only touchdown.
Santos noted that the Warriors are a very young team, having replaced 20 of 21 starters from last year's squad, and he feels encouraged by the way his team competed against Lincoln, who plays in the tougher Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
"Lincoln is a good test for us because it gauges us for league play," said Santos. "We'll be competitive in league."
Westmont opens league play this week, hitting the road to take on the Gunderson Grizzlies (1-2) on Sept. 30 at 1:30 p.m.
Vikings are 3-0
After opening the football season with three non-league victories, Lynbrook looks to carry its momentum into Santa Clara Valley Athletic League play this week.
The Vikings, 3-0 after going on the road to blank Yerba Buena 28-0 on Sept. 22, will begin its El Camino Division schedule at Gunn of Palo Alto, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Lynbrook, which scored 21 second-quarter points at Yerba Buena, will try to keep the 0-3 Titans from breaking through with their first victory of the season. With a victory, the Vikes will have their first 4-0 start in a long time.
After a scoreless first period on the Warriors' field last Friday night, Lynbrook opened the scoring in the with a nine-yard run by junior Scott Day. Jim Baglanis converted the first of four PAT kicks for a 7-0 lead.
Junior quarterback Greg Wallis and senior running back Kevin Rahbar added touchdown runs before halftime. Wallis pounded into the end zone from one yard out, then Rahbar scampered 38 yards to give the Vikings a 21-0 lead at halftime.
Lynbrook picked up its final TD in the third quarter when Wallis and Day hooked up for a 28-yard scoring pass.
The Lynbrook defense has not allowed any points since a touchdown in the opener against Del Mar. Eric Park preserved the shutout against YB by intercepting a pass in the end zone. It was the fourth pick of the season for the senior defensive back.
Saratoga home
After a bye week, Saratoga opens El Camino Division play at home under the lights against Fremont. The Falcons finished a 3-0 non-league seasonl.
Fremont, meanwhile, comes in with a 1-2 record after falling 32-26 to San Jose.
"We've been in command, but we have not been able to slow anybody down," Fremont coach Ron Demonner said. "We're not reading the keys properly and that's been a mystery for us defensively."
Demonner and his coaching staff hope they can solve some of the defensive issues prior to league opener on Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m., at Saratoga.
"They probably are the class of the league with their outstanding receiver," Demonner said of the Falcons. "A team that can run like they usually do and pass too can be scary."
Demonner was referring to Saratoga senior wide receiver Alex Lagemann, who already has verbally committed to accept a scholarship from UC-Berkeley. In Saratoga's most recent game, a 34-14 over Hillsdale of San Mateo, Lagemann turned two of his six catches into touchdowns.
Mike Barnhart contributed to this story.
