Sierra High came out flat but made every necessary adjustment in a 34-0 shutout over the visiting Ceres Bulldogs on Homecoming night.
The Timberwolves (4-1 Valley Oak League, 7-1 overall) got a tremendous effort from quarterback Jonathan Davis, who came on late in the second quarter to shred the Bulldog defense for more than 200 yards passing and four touchdowns, leading his team in the second half after going into halftime with an unimpressive 13-0 lead.
“We challenged our players at halftime,” Sierra head coach Jeff Harbison said. “The kids had to come out and play better football the second half and we were able to do a much better job of it.”
After getting on the board with their first possession of the game, the Timberwolves ran into a lull, missing a field goal and exchanging punts with the Bulldogs until Davis found Ruben Lopez for a 22-yard touchdown with seconds left in the first half.
Davis, who was out of last week’s game in Sonora with an ankle injury, missed the majority of the first two quarters, but took over the contest when senior running back Jarrod Daniels was forced to the sidelines with an ankle injury. The Sierra signal caller was more than ready, completing five of his first six passes and giving Sierra a much-needed spark.
“John Davis stepped up for us tonight and that’s what we expect of him,” Harbison said. “That is exactly what we need of him. A lot of preparation went into it and he got the job done.”
Davis opened the second half blazing, finding his primary target Anthony Hall for a 44-yard touchdown on the half’s fourth play. He wasn’t done, connecting with Hall again for a 14-yard score and pushing Sierra up 27-0.
“The offensive line did a great job giving me a lot of time to throw,” Davis said. “I told coach before the game that I would be ready to go and then when I got out there, the receivers were making the catches.”
Davis completed passes to six different receivers, hitting three separate Timberwolves for scores. The rushing game was forced upon Harold Wright once Daniels went down and he responded with a solid 100-yard effort on just nine carries. Wright had a 81-yard touchdown run called back on an illegal block, stripping the senior of his only score.
Sierra’s effort in the second half is what the team will have to provide for an entire contest if they plan on leaving a highly-anticipated showdown with Oakdale Friday with a victory. Opening the contest with lackluster intensity will spell doom for the Timberwolves at the Corral.
“We have to play four quarters of football if we are going to beat Oakdale,” Harbison said. “Oakdale is a darn good football program and a darn good football team, the effort we had tonight is not going to get it done against the Mustangs.”
Sierra amassed well over 500 yards of total offense, with Wright rushing for 102-yards, Hall receiving for 121-yards and Davis throwing for 204-yards. Defensively, the Timberwolves kept Ceres out of the endzone for their second shutout of the season and their first in VOL action.
Oakdale is coming off a big home win over Manteca High and are two wins away from the school’s third consecutive undefeated season and third league title in a row.
“It is good to have a good game going into a tough game,” Davis said of Sierra’s matchup with Oakdale. “Hopefully the momentum will carry over into the next game. Obviously we’ll be fired up for next week.”
The Timberwolves (4-1 Valley Oak League, 7-1 overall) got a tremendous effort from quarterback Jonathan Davis, who came on late in the second quarter to shred the Bulldog defense for more than 200 yards passing and four touchdowns, leading his team in the second half after going into halftime with an unimpressive 13-0 lead.
“We challenged our players at halftime,” Sierra head coach Jeff Harbison said. “The kids had to come out and play better football the second half and we were able to do a much better job of it.”
After getting on the board with their first possession of the game, the Timberwolves ran into a lull, missing a field goal and exchanging punts with the Bulldogs until Davis found Ruben Lopez for a 22-yard touchdown with seconds left in the first half.
Davis, who was out of last week’s game in Sonora with an ankle injury, missed the majority of the first two quarters, but took over the contest when senior running back Jarrod Daniels was forced to the sidelines with an ankle injury. The Sierra signal caller was more than ready, completing five of his first six passes and giving Sierra a much-needed spark.
“John Davis stepped up for us tonight and that’s what we expect of him,” Harbison said. “That is exactly what we need of him. A lot of preparation went into it and he got the job done.”
Davis opened the second half blazing, finding his primary target Anthony Hall for a 44-yard touchdown on the half’s fourth play. He wasn’t done, connecting with Hall again for a 14-yard score and pushing Sierra up 27-0.
“The offensive line did a great job giving me a lot of time to throw,” Davis said. “I told coach before the game that I would be ready to go and then when I got out there, the receivers were making the catches.”
Davis completed passes to six different receivers, hitting three separate Timberwolves for scores. The rushing game was forced upon Harold Wright once Daniels went down and he responded with a solid 100-yard effort on just nine carries. Wright had a 81-yard touchdown run called back on an illegal block, stripping the senior of his only score.
Sierra’s effort in the second half is what the team will have to provide for an entire contest if they plan on leaving a highly-anticipated showdown with Oakdale Friday with a victory. Opening the contest with lackluster intensity will spell doom for the Timberwolves at the Corral.
“We have to play four quarters of football if we are going to beat Oakdale,” Harbison said. “Oakdale is a darn good football program and a darn good football team, the effort we had tonight is not going to get it done against the Mustangs.”
Sierra amassed well over 500 yards of total offense, with Wright rushing for 102-yards, Hall receiving for 121-yards and Davis throwing for 204-yards. Defensively, the Timberwolves kept Ceres out of the endzone for their second shutout of the season and their first in VOL action.
Oakdale is coming off a big home win over Manteca High and are two wins away from the school’s third consecutive undefeated season and third league title in a row.
“It is good to have a good game going into a tough game,” Davis said of Sierra’s matchup with Oakdale. “Hopefully the momentum will carry over into the next game. Obviously we’ll be fired up for next week.”
