Sierra was down multiple two-way players in its season opener with visiting St. Mary’s on Thursday and lost the battle of defending champions, 35-18.
Early turnovers put the Timberwolves in a hole they could not climb out of.
Presley DaCruz set the tone for the Rams, coming up with interceptions on Sierra’s first two possessions. Also the quarterback, DaCruz capitalized on the favorable field positions and scored on short-yardage touchdown runs.
St. Mary’s led 21-0 with 2:25 left in the first quarter when DaCruz hit Mila Townsend for a 52-yard touchdown. Townsend, a shifty sophomore, also scored on an electric 35-yard run and an 18-yard interception return. She also finished with two picks, and the Rams forced four turnovers in all.
They are coming off a Tri-City Athletic League championship and a run to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals.
“We’ve already been plagued by injuries at the beginning of the season,” Sierra coach Chris Zalunardo said. “I had to bring a girl up from JV this morning. We’re trying to get everyone on the same page on both sides of the ball.
“We purposely put tough teams on the schedule to face adversity, so this is good for us.”
The Timberwolves were without sophomore linebacker/running back Mia Aguirre (concussion) and senior receiver/safety Janessa Barnes, the reigning Valley Oak League MVP who was among section leaders in receiving, scoring and interceptions last year.
“She’s a game changer,” Zalunardo said of Barnes. “She’s the MVP of the league and she’s amazing. The good part about her is she’s a leader on and off the field, so she’s still on the sidelines helping lead our team. We have a lot of depth and a lot of talent, so it’s my job to get this figured out and move forward. We definitely miss her on the field, but I have to do a better job of getting prepared and executing.”
Quarterback Maitland Kohoutek scored on 5- and 15-yard runs in the fourth quarter. She also connected with freshman Sofia Montes and Tessa Zalunardo on deep pass plays covering 49 and 37 yards, respectively.
Zalunardo, who got the start at quarterback, completed a 19-yard pass to Zoe Sutton for Sierra’s first points as time expired in the first quarter.
Zalunardo rushed for 43 yards, passed for 61 and had an interception on defense.
Senior pass rusher Margeil Garcia highlighted the defense with five quarterback sacks, picking up where she left off from her remarkable 2024 season in which she ranked No. 2 in the section with 37 sacks.
“Just an incredible athlete who works harder than anyone I know,” coach Zalunardo said of Garcia. “She’s the pressure. It doesn’t matter if they have blockers or not — she’s going to get in there and she’s going to get a flag. You can always know she’s giving it 100 percent on every play. She’s a special player.”
Sierra will look to bounce back Saturday at the Orestimba Tournament.
