Terrific Start To The Playoffs
Written by: Zeb Drivdahl
Sonora defeated the Center High School Cougars 15-48 on Friday night to advance in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Sectional playoffs.
Center received the opening kickoff and immediately had the Wildcats on their heels. On their first play from scrimmage, the Cougars completed a 55-yard pass from quarterback Robert O’Brien to wide receiver Joe Velasquez. Three plays later, Center would find the end zone to take an early 7-0 lead. The Wildcats answered on their possession with a touchdown from Noah Baker but missed the 2-point conversion, putting the score at 7-6.
Sonora stopped Center on their next drive and drove deep into Cougar territory, but lost a fumble and came away with no points. After trading defensive stops, the Wildcats finally found the endzone again on their 4th drive of the night on a keeper from quarterback Adam Curnow, but missed the 2-point attempt, leaving the score at 12-7. A safety on the next Sonora possession put the score at 12-9. The end of the half saw both teams execute their hurry-up offenses and come away with points, as Sonora notched two touchdowns in the final 2 minutes of the half and Center came away with one, putting the score at 26-15 Wildcats at the half.
Sonora received the second-half kickoff and took control of the game, scoring on a pitch play to Bryce Nicolson. A string of defensive stops and another Noah Baker touchdown reception moved the game further out of reach for Center. Any comeback hopes for the Cougars were dashed when Roger Alderman intercepted a screen pass midway through the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown.
Tim Blackmore earned Chicken Ranch Casino’s Player of the Game honors for his kicking and punting performance on special teams. Sonora will host the Dixon Rams next Friday at Dunlavy Field, with the winner advancing to the section championship.
