NEWMAN, Calif – A lot of touchdowns can be scored in one quarter.
The Orestimba High football team did just that in the first quarter of a non-league home game against Lick High’s squad on Friday. And almost half of those scores came from one player.
That led to the Warriors posting a 42-0 win over the Comets at Coach Roger Pauletto Field at Warrior Stadium.
Orestimba (3-0) scored five touchdowns in the first quarter for a 35-0 lead.
Game officials called for a running clock at the start of the second quarter until the end of the game. The clock would only stop for coaches, game officials or medical timeouts.
Lick (0-3), out of San Jose that is a part of the Central Coast Section, has yet to score a touchdown this season.
“We didn’t play down to anyone’s level,” said Orestimba head coach Aaron Souza. “We came out with good energy.”
This was the Warriors’ first game in two weeks.
Orestimba was going to host a non-league game against former Southern Athletic League rival LeGrand at Warrior Stadium on Sept. 6. But the Sac-Joaquin Section slapped LeGrand with a three-game suspension after altercations with Tranquility High’s team during a scrimmage between the two schools on Aug. 16.
LeGrand had Orestimba, Ripon Christian and Livingston on its preseason schedule before the suspension.
This Friday, LeGrand will begin SAL play at Delhi. The Bulldogs have six league games and host a non-league game against Yosemite of Oakhurst on Oct. 25.
Scoring breakdown
Warrior running back Allen Garcia scored the first touchdown with a 39-yard run. Devon Bell’s extra-point kick was good.
Then Orestimba quarterback Jacob Valenzuela gave the team a 14-0 score on a 16-yard pass to Alan Gamboa. Another Bell kick sailed through the uprights.
Nicolas Cuevas, another Warrior running back, scored the Warriors’ next three touchdowns.
His first score came on a 1-yard run. The extra-point kick missed for a 20-0 score.
Cuevas’ second touchdown came on defense, recovering a fumble in the Comets’ end zone to make it 26-0.
The Warriors’ defense got into the scoring, recording a safety for a 28-0 lead. Defensive lineman Robert Corella tackled a Lick player in the Comets’ end zone.
Cuevas scored his final touchdown on a 32-yard run. Bell’s ring was good for the 35-0 halftime score.
The Warriors’ final touchdown came in the second quarter on running back Colby Cabral’s 10-yard run.
“Everybody got to play, and got significant playing time,” Souza said.
Orestimba had 199 rushing yards in the contest and 66 passing.
Cuevas had four carries for 90 yards to lead the Warriors’ rushing attack. Garcia had the lone carry for 39 yards, Cabral 2-36 and running backs Trayevon Wright 3-29 and Emmanuel Alcantar 1-14.
Valenzuela completed 4 of 7 passes for all 66 yards. Cuevas had one reception for 28 yards.
Warrior wide receivers Alan Gamboa, Richie Rivas and Dylan McCauley had a reception each.
On defense, Corella had four tackles, all solo. Many Orestimba players had solo and assisted tackles. Rivas had an interception in the game.
Trans Valley League
This Friday at 7 p.m., Orestimba makes the short trek to Salida to open Trans Valley League play at Modesto Christian (0-3). The Crusaders are holding their homecoming game that night.
The Crusaders have been outscored 129-0 this season. Stone Ridge Christian High scored the bulk of those points on Friday with a 73-0 non-league win.
Souza pointed out that he does not want his players to look past an MC team that has yet to score any points this season. He also noted the Crusaders’ positive points.
“They still have a bunch of athletic kids,” said Souza of the Crusaders, who have 17 players listed on their roster according to MaxPreps’ website. “They’ve got three kids on the team that are over 6-foot-7. They’ve got some big bodies upfront. They have some really talented kids on the squad. We can’t look past anybody. We just need to show up and play hard and execute.”
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushphotography.
