Kimoni Stanley wrote his way into the Sierra record books Friday night.

Entering the Timberwolves home Valley Oak League contest with visiting Weston Ranch at No. 3 on the all-time Sierra rushing list — 56 yards behind Anthony Cota and 59 behind leader Mark Paule – Stanley showed that record would not last long when he ran for a 20-yard touchdown on the first Timberwolves play from scrimmage. 

“Honestly, I didn’t even know I was about to break the record,” Stanley said. “This was our first football game and I just went out there to have fun and we won.

“To do what we did with just two weeks of practice and put up a score like that was just amazing. I’m just happy I get to play football again.”

Fellow senior Ryan Borgeson starts at quarterback, and this was his first game since youth football. He showed very little rust with three of his four completions going for touchdowns of 19 and 25 yards to Zion Bell and 10 yards to Marcelo Morales.

“I haven’t been in pads since seventh or eighth grade,” Borgeson said. “And it felt really good to get back out on the field and do the best I can to help our team in this shortened season.”

Jacob Allen came off the bench for the Timberwolves (1-0 VOL) in the second half and carried the ball twice — both for touchdowns on runs of 5 and 45 yards. Jontay Berry rounded out the Timberwolves scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run. 

Sierra forced two turnovers. Bell’s fumble recovery on the third play of the game set up Stanley’s first scoring run and later in the first half Tyler Looney made an interception. 

While the game was never in doubt, due to COVID restrictions with a severely limited crowd size and no band, there was little electricity in the air. 

“It is a different environment this year, for sure,” Timberwolves coach Chris Johnson said. “We talked at halftime about how we have to bring our own energy in an environment like this. No crowd, no band — it’s different.

“But when it’s all said and done, it’s just kids playing football. We’ll take it.”

Johnson said of Stanley’s record, “It’s a great thing for him and a great thing for our school. That kid is a three-year varsity guy and everyone knows who No. 5 is, that’s for sure.”

The Cougars (0-1) got on the board late in the fourth quarter when Chris Buttram pulled in a 6 yard scoring pass from Rogelio Ruvalcaba to draw within 14-7. It was all Sierra from that point on with Weston Ranch being held to just 84 yards of total offense.

Five of Sierra’s scoring plays averaged nearly 24 yards each. 

“Big plays were the difference,” Cougars coach Ron Wayman said. “They are a great-coached team. Coach Johnson does a really good job over there.

“Giving up those big plays killed us. We played hard, but you can’t give up 35-, 40-yard runs in a game four or five times and not have a score like there was tonight. I am proud of my players. They fought and they hung in there.

This was Wayman’s first game as varsity head coach.

“This was 'welcome to varsity. Welcome to the VOL,'” Wayman said.  

SCORING SUMMARY

Weston Ranch 7 0 0 0 — 7

Sierra 21 13 7 14 — 55

First quarter

S — Kimoni Stanley 20 run (Jordan Shinn kick), 10:27

S — Zion Bell 19 pass from Ryan Borgeson (Shinn kick), 6:47

W — Chris Buttram 6 pass from Rogelio Ruvalcaba (Ruvalcaba kick), 2:39

S — Stanley 5 run (Shinn kick), 1:39

Second quarter

S — Marcelo Morales 10 pass from Borgeson (Shinn kick), 11:07

S — Bell 25 pass from Borgeson (kick fail), 6:16

Third quarter

S –— Jontay Berry 5 run (Shinn kick), 7:43

Fourth quarter

S — Jacob Allen 5 run (Shinn kick), 9:49

S — Allen 45 run (Shinn kick), 4:50