Photo taken by: Nick Stuart
Written by Nick Stuart:
The Sonora Wildcats are off to a great start this season as they pull together a three-game winning streak, beating Justin Garza High School out of Fresno 57-18. Next week, they look to face a winless team at West High School in Tracy.
The Wildcats started strong after deferring on the coin toss and forcing a three and out for the Guardians. This was followed up by a strong showing by the Sonora offense, scoring on a run by #26 Cooper Moberg. The Wildcat’s defense continued to hold the Guardians scoreless for a large portion of the first quarter. Meanwhile, the offense led by #5 Adam Curnow continued to distribute the ball, finding success on several plays and eventually resulting in a touchdown by #2 Jack Teem and another score on a quarterback keeper by #5 Curnow himself, bringing the Wildcats to an early 22-0 lead over the Guardians. The Guardians tried spreading their offense in response to the Wildcats’ and were able to find some success with long passes down the field.
After halftime adjustments, the Guardians resorted to performing onside kicks and continuing to take chances with the passing game but were frustrated by a Wildcats’ defensive line that spent much of the evening disrupting the passing game and forcing the quarterback to quickly throw the ball away. #25 Noah Baker scored a touchdown on a well-designed play that saw him move into the end zone nearly untouched, bringing the score to 36-12. #2 Jack Teem was also able to move past three defenders and find the end zone, bringing the score to 43-12. The Guardians returned a kickoff for a touchdown and managed to close the gap to 43-18.
The Wildcats took control of the game by focusing on the running game and closed out the game with additional scores by #14 Bryce Nicholson and #30 Brandon Hensel. The Chicken Ranch Casino Player of the Game was #25 Noah Baker, who was able to score on offense and also made several smart plays on special teams. After the game, Coach Bryan Craig was recognized for his 100th win with the Wildcats.
The Sonora Wildcats games air live on KVML 1450AM/102.7 FM, with Nick Stuart and Zeb Drivdahl. The Summerville Bears can be heard on 93.5 KKBN with Mike Woicicki and Mike Rodgers as your hosts for all the action.
For the Live Streaming Broadcast, and information about the season view the High School Sports Page here.