Led by the quarterback duo of senior Isaac Newberry and junior Nick Salibi, and backed by a stout defense, the San Lorenzo Valley High School varsity football team overcame a wobbly first quarter to blow out the visiting Marina High Mariners 44-0 last Saturday in the first game of Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play.
With last season’s dismal 1-9 SCCAL finish firmly in the rearview mirror, the Cougars made a powerful statement — scoring six touchdowns and a field goal.
The closest the Mariners came to getting on the board was a blocked field goal attempt in the second quarter.
Head Coach Dave Poetzinger said that, although he was pleased with the outcome of the game, the reduced number of preseason practice sessions showed during the early parts of the game.
“I was happy with our preparation and our intensity,” he said. “But the lack of practice time — it’s going to make some of the early games a little sloppy.”
The scoring was a tight affair during the first quarter as the Cougars’ offense sputtered out of the gate and was limited to a 25-yard field goal by senior Garrett Kustin.
It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Cougar offense took off as junior running back Brighton Hart took the ball 20 yards for SLV’s first touchdown — the first of six unanswered Cougar touchdowns.
A drive by the Mariners late in the second quarter threatened, but was ultimately foiled by the Cougar defense when senior lineman Thomas Dirck recovered an incomplete pass on the 6-yard line.
The ball back in their possession, the Cougars scored their second touchdown of the quarter, run in by senior running back Nate Gentry.
With seconds left on the clock in the first half, the Mariners’ offense managed to get within field goal range, but the kick was blocked by the Cougar defense.
After halftime, the Cougars picked back up where they left off, with a Newberry pass to Hart scoring a 62-yard touchdown — his second of the afternoon — starting off the third quarter.
Once again, the Cougar defense stepped up to halt a Mariner drive with an interception by sophomore linebacker Jackson Turner at the 18-yard line.
With the ball once again in Cougar hands, junior wide receiver Davon Northcutt scored on a 49-yard drive, pushing the score to 31-0.
The Cougar offense did not let up in the fourth quarter.
Junior running back Ben Zhu took a handoff pass into the end zone for the Cougars’ fifth touchdown.
Gentry scored the Cougars’ sixth and final touchdown — his second touchdown of the game — on a drive that began with a recovered fumble by junior defensive lineman Jake Hampton.
Poetzinger cited a balanced, team effort as the driving force behind the victory.
“I really like how diverse our offense is,” he said. “The offense itself was really spread out to a number of players.”
In addition to Hart and Gentry’s two-touchdown games, and the rushing of senior wide receiver Shaden Pias, SLV’s quarterback platoon of Newberry and Salibi played an important role, Poetzinger said.
As both players have proven their talent, he said, there are no plans to anoint an official starting quarterback anytime soon.
“They’re both good players, and they both bring something to the field,” Poetzinger said.
During Saturday’s tilt, he said, the plan was to alternate between Newberry and Salibi on each Cougar possession.
Thanks to the defense, there were plenty of possessions to go around as the duo combined for three touchdown passes and nearly 250 passing yards.
Coming up
After a bye week, the Cougars will head to Mills High School to take on the Vikings at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 in Millbrae.
