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Rams roll past Comets to end losing streak
By Dick Sparrer
There's been some talk this season about the 15-game losing streak that the Willow Glen football team brought in to the 2001 campaign.
The only thing about it, though, is that it was virtually meaningless to most of the players and coaches who make up the 2001 edition of Willow Glen football.
Bob Parker returns as the head coach for the Rams this fall, but he wasn't part of that streak. And only one of his coaches and one returning player figured in all 15 of those games.
So when the Rams finally snapped that losing skid last Friday after it had reached 18 games with three losses to open the year, Parker was quick to point out that his Rams had ended their "three-game losing streak."
They did it on Friday with a rousing 24-0 win over James Lick, and they did it with a solid defensive effort, holding the Comets to just 15 yards and sacking the quarterback six times.
"Lick's not very good," Parker said, "but we did what we had to do."
The win came in the league opener for each club in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, and the Rams broke up a scoreless tie when they scored with no time left on the clock in the first half.
Justin Johnson, who hit on 11 of 17 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns, tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Tony Owens on the last play of the half. Johnson then hit Steve Lopez with a pass for the 2-point conversion.
Lopez, who carried 10 times for 92 yards to lead the Rams on the ground, set up the next touchdown with a 30-yard run in the third quarter. After a penalty pushed the Rams back, Johnson hooked up with Mark Sarinana for 21 yards and a score. Johnson threw to Adrian Morales for the 2-point conversion, and Willow Glen held a commanding 16-0 lead.
"It was a nice throw, a nice route and a nice catch," said Parker of the Johnson-to -Sarinana touchdown.
In the final period, Johnson tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Dave Estrada, who "ricocheted off a couple of tacklers" to get into the end zone. Johnson ran for the 2-pointer to make it 24-0.
"He's just going to get better," said Parker of Johnson. "He's panicking less and making good decisions."
Johnson completed passes to Owens, Lopez, Morales, Sarinana, Estrada, Evan Ball and Doug Dionne in the win.
Linebacker Chris Stephens led the Willow Glen defense with nine tackles, and cornerback Thomas Ochoa was in on seven.
Morales was in on five tackles for the Rams, and three of them were quarterback sacks.
"He just hammered the quarterback a couple of times," said Parker of Morales, who forced a fumble on one of the sacks that ultimately set up the touchdown by Estrada.
Willow Glen will try to make it two straight in the win column this week when the Rams host powerful Independence on Oct. 6, 1:30 p.m.
"They're very good, and they have a couple of outstanding running backs,"Parker said. "They're so quick, and [head coach Joe Cattolico] does just a great job."
"We'd just like to show well against Independence," said Parker, whose Rams will celebrate their homecoming on Saturday.
Frosh-sophers win
The Willow Glen frosh-soph football team will open the day with an 11 a.m. game against Independence, and the Rams will take a 4-0 record into the Saturday morning affair.
The Rams blanked Lick 19-0 last week, returning an interception for a touchdown for the fourth straight game.
Mario Montes made it four in a row when he picked off a pass and went 20 yards for a score in the win over Lick last Saturday. Quarterback Chris Hobbs scored on a 3-yard run, and Ricky Munoz ran back a punt 60 yards for a touchdown.
The streak began in week No. 1 when Justin Jeffries picked one off and ran it back 90 yards for a TD. Willow Glen went on to beat Mountain View 15-14.
A week later, it was John Gibilisco who returned an interception 45 yards for a score in a win over Fremont, and Munoz ran back a pass interception 20 yards for a TD in the only score in a 7-0 win over Silver Creek.
It was Hobbs who led the Rams to the victory over Lick last week.
"He must have had 20 tackles, and seven or eight of them were for losses," said Parker of Hobbs. "He's such a tough kid, such a good leader and he makes good decisions."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
