The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

On Target: Sophomore quarterback David Macchi tossed for four touchdowns in Willow Glen's 42-14 win over Silver Creek last weekend.

Rams ready for Chargers

Willow Glen is off to 5-0 start

By Dick Sparrer

Bring on Leland.

The Willow Glen Rams are ready. Or at least as ready as they'll ever be.

Bob Parker knows that his Rams will be the underdog despite their 5-0 record when they take on the Chargers in the nonleague game this weekend. But the veteran football coach is looking forward to the opportunity to play one of the area's top teams.

"I know they're good," said Parker. "I'd like to know how good we are."

Silver Creek sure thinks Willow Glen is pretty good. The Raiders were dominated by the Rams 42-14 last Saturday as Willow Glen moved to 2-0 in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and to 5-0 for the year.

"We're in a nice situation," admitted Parker. "If we get blown out by Leland, which is certainly possible, we can join Live Oak, Los Gatos, Del Mar and Leigh."

"If we play them tough, we'll know we're a pretty good team," he added. "And if we beat 'em, we're one of the top five teams in CCS. We've got nothing to lose."

The Chargers take a 4-1 season record into the game on Saturday (1:30 p.m. at Leland). Leland's only loss this year was to CCS powerhouse Oak Grove.

"The kids are game," Parker said of his Rams. "They have a lot of confidence. We're looking forward to it."

The Rams go into the nonleague game after scoring 89 points in their first two league games. Willow Glen dominated Silver Creek on the field last Saturday, but the Rams couldn't put much distance between themselves and the Raiders on the scoreboard until the third quarter.

Creek scored in the third to cut the Willow Glen lead to 28-14, but that's when the Rams shifted gears.

"The kids picked it up a step," said Parker.

Sophomore quarterback David Macchi tossed to Dewitt Willis, and the speedy back broke one 51 yards for a touchdown. Nich Holt kicked one of his six extra points, and the Rams were in control 35-14.

Willow Glen added a final touchdown in the fourth period on a 10-yard TD run by Eddy Sanchez to cap the 42-14 victory. A key block by Brian Hyland led Sanchez to the end zone.

The Rams dominated the game from the beginning. Shaun Thompson made the first of his two interception's on Silver Creek's first possession, but the clubs would trade punts before Willow Glen eventually scored.

Willis, who finished the day with 17 carries for 102 yards and four receptions for 68 yards, went 7 yards for a touchdown and Holt converted.

Doug Murr recovered a Silver Creek fumble after the kickoff, and a 17-yard toss from Macchi to Miguel Campos set up Macchi for a 25-yard touchdown pass to John Fernandez.

Campos took a screen pass 32 yards to a touchdown to make it 21-0 in the first period.

Silver Creek scored in the second quarter, but Willow Glen answered right back with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Macchi to Willis.

The Raiders scored first in the third period, though, to cut the lead to 28-14. But that's when the Rams started to pull away.

Macchi hooked up on 14 of 24 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns in the win, and Willis finished with 170 yards of total offense and three TDs. Campos carried seven times for 42 yards and pulled in three passes for 60 yards.

Cory Hare snagged four passes for 38 yards, Fernandez caught two for 55 and Sanchez grabbed one for 13.

Thompson starred defensively for the Rams with two interceptions and key tackles.

"On defense, he's just awesome," said Parker. "He came up to throw guys for losses at least three times."

The coach also praised Nick Nelson for his performance in his first game at defensive end. "That was the best any defensive end has played for us all year," said Parker. "I think he's found his spot."

Mike Von Reuden and Ricardo Mendez were also singled out for solid games. Murr, Fernandez and Nelson all recovered Silver Creek fumbles.

Young Rams win

The Willow Glen frosh-soph team had its toughest test of the young league season, but the Rams passed the test with a tight 22-14 win over Silver Creek.

It took a key quarterback sack by returning all-league defensive end Jeremy Downs to stop the Raiders and help the Rams clinch their second win of the Santa Teresa Division season.

Silver Creek scored early in the game, but Willow Glen answered right back on a 14-yard touchdown run by sophomore Mike Strangis. Will Rideau tossed to Ray Farias for the two-point conversion, and the Rams had an 8-6 lead at the half.

But the Raiders scored and made the two-point conversion to tie the game in the third.

Farias broke a screen pass from Rideau 70 yards for a TD later in the period, but the Rams were left in a 14-14 tie when they missed on the conversion try.

Rideau tossed to Strangis for 10 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter, then ran a bootleg for the two-point conversion to give the Rams a 22-14 lead.

But Willow Glen fumbled the ball away in the final moments, and the defense had to stand firm at its own 20 to stop a late Silver Creek drive. The sack by Downs ended the threat for the Raiders and sealed the Willow Glen victory.

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