The Rams' defense hounded the Matadors all afternoon and came away with six turnovers—three fumbles and three interceptions—to frustrate their offensive efforts. Matt Arevalo led the charge, snagging two interceptions and one fumble. Angel Posada grabbed the other pick while both Marcus Hill and Tim Cremer fell on a fumble apiece.

The defense put the first points of the game on the board for the Rams in the first quarter on an outstanding effort by defensive lineman Joe Horner. The Rams punted the ball deep into Matador territory and downed the ball on the 1-yard line.

Monta Vista attempted to run a dive over tackle on the first play to get a little breathing room to operate its offense but Horner would have no part of that. He split a double team block and then met the running back head on in the backfield to drop him for a loss in the end zone and a safety. The Rams were up 2-0 compliments of the defense.

"Our defense played very well and we were pleased with their effort," said Willow Glen head coach Andy Penwarden.

Penwarden singled out Cremer and Eugene Martinez as "stepping up" and having outstanding performances on the day. He also pointed out that both Tyler Smith and Hill did excellent jobs at their safety positions.

"All they do is throw the ball," Penwarden added. "We had to use a double safety set-up and our players executed very well."

It's a good thing the Willow Glen defense had such a strong game because the offense struggled and did not hit on all cylinders.

"We didn't do much on offense and didn't move the ball," the coach said. "We turned the ball over three times inside the 50-yard line with two fumbles and an interception."

The Rams caught another defensive break in the first quarter on one of Arevalo's interceptions. He pulled down the pick and rambled back to the Matadors' 10-yard line. The offense could not get cranked up and the Rams had to settle for a 28-yard field goal off the toe of Arevalo.

The rest of the game was a defensive battle with both teams unable to get their offense untracked. It remained that way until late in the final quarter when Willow Glen took possession with just over two minutes left in the game and needed a sustained drive to hold off the Matadors and keep the ball out of their hands.

The Rams started at their own 45-yard line and came through with a strong running effort from Robert Oxen and Hill, who pounded out good yardage and picked up several key first downs to keep the drive alive. Oxen finally bolted into the end zone on a 9-yard plunge with only 25 ticks left on the clock to ice the game. Arevalo added the PAT and the Rams came away with the 12-0 victory.

Willow Glen will travel to meet Del Mar under the lights on Sept. 24 in non-league contest. Penwarden is anticipating a "very physical game" since Del Mar has become "kind of a rivalry for us."

"Our kids are excited to play them," he added. "A lot of kids know each other and it should be a good game."

"In order for us to get the win, our offense must not turn the ball over and our defense must keep on playing with the same attitude that it has been," said Penwarden. "They have to continue to run to the ball and contain them. Del Mar has a good quarterback who can hurt you in a lot of ways."

The Dons battled from behind to nail a 26-26 tie against Santa Clara last weekend. Del Mar had opened the season with a loss to Lincoln.