STOCKTON — The Cougars’ defense rose to the occasion each time against the seemingly high-powered Edison offense on Friday.
In the 20-0 preseason win, Weston Ranch (2-0) also claimed bragging rights over the Vikings in this south Stockton geographic rivalry.
“Our two schools are divided by Eighth Street,” said Cougars coach Seth Davis. “But Edison is the Division I school — in comparison, we’re maybe half the size (in enrollment).”
This was the first game for the Vikings, who welcomed the return of coach Booker Guyton. About a dozen or so years ago, he brought a winning football program to his alma mater.
His team showed early season jitters, especially when it came to stopping the run.
Weston Ranch was helped out by the one-two punch of running backs Cori Floyd and Andrew Barley.
Behind the offensive line powered by the likes of  300-pound senior Robert Wright, the Cougars amassed 270 yards on the ground.
“They tried to come at us (defensively) but we kept pushing them back,” Wright said. “We showed that we wanted this game more.”
While Floyd darted his way for 107 yards on 18 carries, it was Farley who lowered the boom — twice.
His two first-quarter touchdowns came after turnovers.
Elijah Harper came up with the first of four interceptions by the Weston Ranch defensive backfield.
Five plays later, Farley broke several tackles while breaking loose on a 21-yard score.
The Vikings next drive resulted into a fumble recovered by Kenneth Cha.
A few plays later, Farley barreled past the Edison defense for a 42-yard touchdown.
“He’s the hardest worker on our team and it shows,” said Davis of Farley, who also helped anchor the defense.
He and linebacker Nick Patterson stuffed the Vikings ground game early on. In the second quarter, Malik Vega-Tatum and James Walker both ended threats by Edison, coming up big interceptions near the goal line.
Wright came up with a fumble and nearly scored.
The Cougars, who threatened on each of those turnovers to add to their 13-0 lead, came up empty.“We left a lot of points on the field,” Davis later said.
Actually, both teams had trouble scoring in the red zone throughout the game.
It wasn’t until late in the third quarter, following Walker’s second interception, that Weston Ranch finally scored inside the 20.
Quarterback Terry Snipes hit the outstretched hands of Harper, who reeled in the 11-yard score.
The Cougars managed to chew up the clock during the final quarter.
“A good offense is one that can run the ball in the fourth,” said Davis, who is gearing his team for next week’s clash at Bear Creek.