No. 4 Serra gets another four TDs from Nate Sanchez heading into bye week after routs of Pittsburg, M-A
By MIKE LEFKOW, CORRESPONDENT |
STOCKTON — Serra High may have to settle for being ranked fourth in the Bay Area Preps HQ top 25 until one or more of the teams ahead of it gets beat.
But after the Padres demolished St. Mary’s-Stockton 56-28 Friday night, it’s very reasonable to think of Serra as the No. 2 team in the Bay Area behind De La Salle. Besides running its record to 3-0, Serra has outscored three very good opponents by a combined 153-61 thus far.
The game against St. Mary’s was similar to earlier victories this season over Pittsburg and Menlo-Atherton. Get a lead at halftime and deliver the knockout punch in the third and fourth quarters.
Serra led 28-21 at the half on Friday, then scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 49-21 advantage that put the game away.
“We made a lot of fixes,” said senior running back Nate Sanchez, who scored three of his four touchdowns in the second half. “A lot of them were mental changes. We had a hard time stopping number two (sophomore Jadyn Marshall).”
A receiver by trade, Marshall played running back after Tyrei Washington was injured late in the first half. Marshall had over 100 yards in receptions and he ran for another 64 yards. But Serra kept him out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, when he scored with the Padres leading 56-21.
Serra has outscored its opponents 63-13 in the second half this season. Coach Patrick Walsh spent much of the off-season working on Serra’s mental approach. One of the themes was making sure the Padres competed for the entire 48 minutes of the contest. So far it’s paying off.
Of course, it helps to have the kind of personal Serra does. In addition to the four touchdowns by Sanchez, quarterback Daylin McLemore passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran 59 yards for another score. Terence Loville electrified the crowd by turning a short pass reception in to a 95-yard run-and-catch for Serra’s first score. Vince Poni also ran for two touchdowns.
St. Mary’s did strike first, scoring with the game less than two minutes old. But the Padres answered right back on Loville’s 95-yarder, then they went ahead 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter when Sanchez went over from the 4.
St. Mary’s tied it again at 14-14, then Serra scored six of the next seven touchdowns.
“The key was the third quarter,” Serra cosch Patrick Walsh said. “We got the ball and scored, then Damon Lewis, every kickoff in the third quarter he put in the end zone. It forced them to drive 80 yards each time.”
That wasn’t going to happen with Marcellus Eison and Nusi Malani on the defensive line. Marshall continued to gain his yards for St. Mary’s, but when all was said and done, Serra wound up with 497 yards compared to 350 for the Rams.
McLemore was especially pleased with the 286 yards Serra rolled up on the ground.
“We had a difficult time running the ball last week,” McLemore said. “Tonight we made some explosive plays.”
Serra has a bye next week before beginning WCAL play Sept. 27 against Riordan.
In the meantime, Malani is off to the University of Nebraska on Saturday for an official visit. He has numerous college offers, the latest being Virginia, according to his dad. The rest of the team will get to enjoy its fabulous start while waiting to climb a little higher in the rankings.
By MIKE LEFKOW, CORRESPONDENT |
STOCKTON — Serra High may have to settle for being ranked fourth in the Bay Area Preps HQ top 25 until one or more of the teams ahead of it gets beat.
But after the Padres demolished St. Mary’s-Stockton 56-28 Friday night, it’s very reasonable to think of Serra as the No. 2 team in the Bay Area behind De La Salle. Besides running its record to 3-0, Serra has outscored three very good opponents by a combined 153-61 thus far.
The game against St. Mary’s was similar to earlier victories this season over Pittsburg and Menlo-Atherton. Get a lead at halftime and deliver the knockout punch in the third and fourth quarters.
Serra led 28-21 at the half on Friday, then scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 49-21 advantage that put the game away.
“We made a lot of fixes,” said senior running back Nate Sanchez, who scored three of his four touchdowns in the second half. “A lot of them were mental changes. We had a hard time stopping number two (sophomore Jadyn Marshall).”
A receiver by trade, Marshall played running back after Tyrei Washington was injured late in the first half. Marshall had over 100 yards in receptions and he ran for another 64 yards. But Serra kept him out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, when he scored with the Padres leading 56-21.
Serra has outscored its opponents 63-13 in the second half this season. Coach Patrick Walsh spent much of the off-season working on Serra’s mental approach. One of the themes was making sure the Padres competed for the entire 48 minutes of the contest. So far it’s paying off.
Of course, it helps to have the kind of personal Serra does. In addition to the four touchdowns by Sanchez, quarterback Daylin McLemore passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran 59 yards for another score. Terence Loville electrified the crowd by turning a short pass reception in to a 95-yard run-and-catch for Serra’s first score. Vince Poni also ran for two touchdowns.
St. Mary’s did strike first, scoring with the game less than two minutes old. But the Padres answered right back on Loville’s 95-yarder, then they went ahead 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter when Sanchez went over from the 4.
St. Mary’s tied it again at 14-14, then Serra scored six of the next seven touchdowns.
“The key was the third quarter,” Serra cosch Patrick Walsh said. “We got the ball and scored, then Damon Lewis, every kickoff in the third quarter he put in the end zone. It forced them to drive 80 yards each time.”
That wasn’t going to happen with Marcellus Eison and Nusi Malani on the defensive line. Marshall continued to gain his yards for St. Mary’s, but when all was said and done, Serra wound up with 497 yards compared to 350 for the Rams.
McLemore was especially pleased with the 286 yards Serra rolled up on the ground.
“We had a difficult time running the ball last week,” McLemore said. “Tonight we made some explosive plays.”
Serra has a bye next week before beginning WCAL play Sept. 27 against Riordan.
In the meantime, Malani is off to the University of Nebraska on Saturday for an official visit. He has numerous college offers, the latest being Virginia, according to his dad. The rest of the team will get to enjoy its fabulous start while waiting to climb a little higher in the rankings.
