Orestimba running back Michael Suesue rushed for 175 yards in the Warriors’ 19-0 victory over Gustine Friday.

OHS closes out season with 19-0 win in rivalry game

Orestimba High School will be keeping The Chief for another year.

The visiting Warriors extended their win streak in the long-standing Orestimba-Gustine rivalry to five games with a 19-0 decision over the upset-minded Redskins.

The season-ending win allows the Warriors to keep possession of The Chief, a carved wooden statue which goes to the victor in the rivalry game each year.

Gustine kept the game close through the first half with one of its best defensive efforts of the season, before Orestimba pulled away with a pair of second-half scores.

“Both teams came out and played hard. They won it, plain and simple,” said Gustine Coach Manuel Bettencourt. “It came down to execution. Orestimba capitalized when they had a short field; we didn’t. We had the ball inside the 20 four times and couldn’t score.”

That trend started early, when the Redskins pushed into Orestimba territory following a Sam Ramsour fumble recovery. Gustine gave the ball back on an interception which allowed Orestimba to set up shop at midfield.

A big gain by Michael Suesue, coupled with a penalty, moved the Warriors to the 20, and Suesue eventually punched into the end zone on a 6-yard run early in the second quarter.

Gustine had good field position following a short kickoff. A pass from Joseph Gerhart to Ramsour moved the Redskins inside the 30, but Warrior Trevor Winters came up with an interception to end the threat.

Later in the half, Gustine drove inside the OHS 15 before the Warriors came up with a big defensive stand to keep the game scoreless.

A third-quarter touchdown run by Suesue, who rolled up 175 yards on the night, extended the Orestimba lead to 12-0.

The Warriors added an Edward King touchdown run with 9:23 left to finish the scoring.

Gustine would threaten twice more before time expired, but the Redskins were unable to get into the end zone. A Winters interception in the end zone preserved the Orestimba shutout.

“Our defense was the star of the show,” Orestimba Coach Scott Felber said. “We did a good job of sticking to our responsibilities, and we came up with some big plays.”

While penalties and turnovers stalled drives, and the Gustine defense kept the Warrior passing game in check, Orestimba managed to rush for nearly 300 yards on its way to three touchdowns.

In addition to Suesue’s big night, King rushed for 54 tough yards on nine carries, quarterback Ravonne Pious ran six times for 35 yards and Teddy Morales carried four times for 31 yards.

Gustine picked up most of its yardage through the air, with Gerhart completing 14 passes for 138 yards and Kory Bettencourt adding a 5-yard completion.

Ramsour had six catches for 80 yards. Roman Puppo hauled in seven passes for 30 yards, Eric Gill had a reception for 23 yards and Joseph Rebelo had one catch for 5 yards.

The game marked the final league matchup between the West Side rivals for at least the next four years. Gustine moves to the Southern League next year, while Orestimba joins the Trans Valley League. The two teams will face each other in non-league play.

Orestimba finished the season 5-5 overall and 1-4 in the WAC. Gustine was 1-9 on the season and winless in WAC play.