Homecoming is often a time for celebration.
East Union was certainly enjoying the good times following Friday’s 31-0 Valley Oak League victory over Lathrop High.
“Just to see the smiles on the faces of all 45 players is priceless,” Lancer coach Mike James said as his team improved its mark to 4-0.
East Union (1-0) had trouble getting started against the upstart Spartans (0-1, 2-2).
“Lathrop did an outstanding job against us,” James said. “You can’t tell by the scoreboard.”
The Lancers started the game without quarterback Teejay Gordon, who sat out early on before receiving medical clearance.
Dylan Meneses drew the starting assignment before a spirited Red Sea crowd at Dino Cunial Field.
As for Gordon, he entered a scoreless game late in the first quarter and subsequently led East Union on an 87-yard scoring drive set up by Steven Gigli’s 42-yard run.
Shortly after Robert Vaughn’s nifty one-hand grab was offset by an illegal-block infraction, Gordon scrambled into the end zone with a 4-yard run.
“Teejay is the leader of this team,” James later said. “The guys rally behind him.”
The Spartans coughed up the ball on the ensuing kickoff, but dodged a bullet when East Union returned the favor.
Gigli, who had a game-high 145 yards on 15 carries, gained 35 yards just after another Lathrop turnover.
The Spartans held tough, forcing East Union to settle on a 19-yard field goal by Alex Dias.
“I thought we did a good job on defense,” Lathrop coach Jesse Rodriguez said.
Alfonzo Gonzalez came away with a pair of turnovers. Included were an interception and a fumble recovery.
Offensively, the Spartans managed to move the ball with some consistency in the second half – they were without a first down through the first two quarters – relying on the running of Christian Pena, Andrew Aquino, Dennis Johnson, and Pablo Chavez.
The East Union defense occasionally bent, but there was no break.
In third quarter, Ryan Ward came up with the big play, intercepting a pass while racing 53 yards to the LHS 8.
Three plays later, Vaughn scored on a 3-yard toss Gordon.
The East Union quarterback put the game out of reach by the fourth quarter, scoring on a 46-yard scamper.
Joshua Kolkmann’s interception led to a 41-yard touchdown run by Ryanh Somphithack.
East Union will face Sierra next week at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium while Lathrop travels to Sonora.
“We’re going to enjoy these next few days,” James said. “It was great when our team was 3-0.
“But 4-0 is even better.”
East Union was certainly enjoying the good times following Friday’s 31-0 Valley Oak League victory over Lathrop High.
“Just to see the smiles on the faces of all 45 players is priceless,” Lancer coach Mike James said as his team improved its mark to 4-0.
East Union (1-0) had trouble getting started against the upstart Spartans (0-1, 2-2).
“Lathrop did an outstanding job against us,” James said. “You can’t tell by the scoreboard.”
The Lancers started the game without quarterback Teejay Gordon, who sat out early on before receiving medical clearance.
Dylan Meneses drew the starting assignment before a spirited Red Sea crowd at Dino Cunial Field.
As for Gordon, he entered a scoreless game late in the first quarter and subsequently led East Union on an 87-yard scoring drive set up by Steven Gigli’s 42-yard run.
Shortly after Robert Vaughn’s nifty one-hand grab was offset by an illegal-block infraction, Gordon scrambled into the end zone with a 4-yard run.
“Teejay is the leader of this team,” James later said. “The guys rally behind him.”
The Spartans coughed up the ball on the ensuing kickoff, but dodged a bullet when East Union returned the favor.
Gigli, who had a game-high 145 yards on 15 carries, gained 35 yards just after another Lathrop turnover.
The Spartans held tough, forcing East Union to settle on a 19-yard field goal by Alex Dias.
“I thought we did a good job on defense,” Lathrop coach Jesse Rodriguez said.
Alfonzo Gonzalez came away with a pair of turnovers. Included were an interception and a fumble recovery.
Offensively, the Spartans managed to move the ball with some consistency in the second half – they were without a first down through the first two quarters – relying on the running of Christian Pena, Andrew Aquino, Dennis Johnson, and Pablo Chavez.
The East Union defense occasionally bent, but there was no break.
In third quarter, Ryan Ward came up with the big play, intercepting a pass while racing 53 yards to the LHS 8.
Three plays later, Vaughn scored on a 3-yard toss Gordon.
The East Union quarterback put the game out of reach by the fourth quarter, scoring on a 46-yard scamper.
Joshua Kolkmann’s interception led to a 41-yard touchdown run by Ryanh Somphithack.
East Union will face Sierra next week at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium while Lathrop travels to Sonora.
“We’re going to enjoy these next few days,” James said. “It was great when our team was 3-0.
“But 4-0 is even better.”
