Youth-laden Sierra falls short against small-school power
SALIDA — Sierra head coach Chris Johnson gave his inexperienced team a tough first assignment for the 2018 season.
“Sometimes you’ve got to convince little cats that they’re lions,” he said Friday following his Timberwolves’ 21-3 setback to Modesto Christian at Roy Blakeley Field.
The youth was apparent against one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top small-school programs, as was their lack of the size at the line of scrimmage where MC boasts behemoths like 6-foot-3, 285-poound Landon Wright and rising NCAA Division I prospect Xavier Carlton, who stands at 6-6, 240 pounds and lines up at defensive end, tight end and wide receiver.
The Timberwolves, to their credit, did not back down from the challenge. They came through with big defensive stands to stay in the hunt until Modesto Christian put it away with Hayden Sauser’s 39-yard completion to a wide-open Mario Hernandez.
