The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Big Yardage: Willow Glen running back Miguel Campos, shown picking up big yardage in an early season game, ran for a touchdown for the Rams in Friday's 36-0 win over Andrew Hill.

Rams to battle Pirates

Willow Glen beats Hill to move to 3-0

By Dick Sparrer

It's time for the Willow Glen football team to get down to business.

And no one knows that better than Bob Parker and his Rams.

Willow Glen is off to a perfect 3-0 start in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, but Parker knows what the future holds for his Rams: three tough opponents in Piedmont Hills (6-1, 2-1), Prospect (6-0-1, 3-0), and Santa Teresa (3-4, 2-2).

"We know that our schedule is back-loaded," Parker said.

And the Rams will start right in on the tough part of that schedule when they visit Piedmont Hills on Nov. 1 for a 1:30 p.m. varsity game.

"Whoever wins that game is at worst going to be the second in the play-offs," Parker said.

"When we played Mt. Pleasant in our league opener, I thought that was our biggest game of the season at the time: They were coming off of that big win over Del Mar," he added. "Now this is our biggest game of the season."

Piedmont comes into the game off a 34-28 win over Santa Teresa last Friday, but a week earlier the Pirates lost to Prospect.

"They're a well-coached team," said Parker of Piedmont Hills, "but they're a little predictable, I think."

Certainly, Parker predicts a much closer game against the Pirates than his Rams played against Andrew Hill last Friday. Willow Glen rolled to a lopsided 36-0 win over the Falcons to improve to 3-0 in the division and to 6-1 for the year.

"Our subs played more than our regulars," Parker said after the one-sided game. "A lot of guys contributed. We played everybody."

Willow Glen jumped out to a quick lead on a three-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback David Macchi to junior wide receiver John Fernandez.

The Rams made it 8-0 in the first period when Nick Nelson blocked a Hill punt out of the end zone for a safety.

"They were kicking from about their 10, but he blocked it so solidly it went over the goal line and out of the end zone," said Parker of Nelson, who blocked two punts in the win. He has now blocked three punts and an extra point this season.

Macchi fired a 30-yard TD toss to Cory Hare, another junior wide receiver, and Nich Holt kicked the extra point to make it 15-0 in the second quarter.

But the Rams weren't finished with their first-half scoring. Shaun Thompson broke up a lateral pass in the backfield, and Kory Warren scooped up the loose ball to race 50 yards for a touchdown. Holt's kick made it 22-0 at intermission.

Warren took over at quarterback in the second half and hit Fernandez for 45 yards and a touchdown. Holt converted.

The Rams closed out the scoring in the third quarter when Miguel Campos blasted over from the two and Ricky Jackman kicked the extra point to make it 36-0.

Macchi finished the day completing nine of 13 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Warren came on to hook up on four of six passes for 60 yards and the one TD.

Hare pulled in three tosses for 81 yards, and Fernandez snagged two for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Holt and Dewitt Willis also caught two passes apiece for the Rams, and Nelson, Jackman, David Arata and Greg Barone caught one each.

Willits led the ground show with 90 yards on 10 carries. Campos supported with 29 yards on four tries, Warren gained 20 yards on three attempts and Nelson added 16 yards on five runs.

Junior tackle Mike Von Reuden led the charge in the offensive line for the Rams.

"He's such a hard worker and a perfectionist," Parker said of Von Reuden. "He's always in the middle of the good things that are happening."

There were a lot of good things happening for the Rams on Friday, but they weren't all on offense.

Nelson had a big day on offense with his five carries and his one reception, but he was also impressive on defense. The senior defensive end blocked the punt, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.

Parker added that junior Peter Panayotopoulos also played well at defensive end and singled out Thompson for another strong effort in the secondary.

Panayotopoulos, Warren, Richy Clarke, Sergio Peterson and Brian Hyland joined Nelson with fumble recoveries in the win, and Fernandez intercepted a pass.

"They're not that bad," Parker said of Hill. "I think we made them look bad. I just keep thinking maybe we are pretty good."

Frosh-soph wins

Willow Glen improved to 3-0 in the division and to 5-2 for the year with a 20-6 win over Hill in frosh-soph action.

The Falcons took a 6-0 lead in at intermission, but the Rams scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half to win it.

The Rams took the lead in the third period when sophomore quarterback Will Rideau hit Ruben Figeroa on a slant-in over the middle and the sophomore receiver broke it for a 50-yard touchdown. Rideau tossed to Ray Farias for the two-point conversion, and the Rams led 8-6.

A Farias pass interception set up Leon Thomas for a 25-yard TD run to up the lead to 14-6. Later Thomas picked off a Hill pass to set up his own 30-yard touchdown run.

Thomas finished the game with over 150 yards rushing for the Rams.

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