With the Biggs Wolverines averaging just over nine points per game while yielding 28 to their opponents, it seemed as though the Williams Yellowjackets would have a relatively easy go of it on the road in their second Mid-Valley League game.
However, that was not the case, and although the ‘Jackets emerged with the 14-8 win, they had to survive a frantic final two minutes to achieve it.
Initially, it appeared that the Yellowjackets were going to run away with the game, when on their second possession of the first quarter, they took advantage of good field position and put together a seven-play, 46-yard scoring drive.
Forty of those yards came in one chunk as quarterback Adrian Solis connected with receiver Leo Trujillo, bringing the ball to the Wolverine six-yard line.
Two snaps later, Solis found Trujillo in the end zone from two yards out for the touchdown, and then hit Nestor Correa to make good on the two-point try.
But Williams wasn’t done, and after the defense forced the Wolverines to turn the ball over on downs, the offense put six more points on the board as time ran out in the quarter.
Again, it was the combination of Solis to Trujillo, as the senior receiver made the catch then outran the Biggs defender for a 58-yard touchdown.
Although the two-point attempt failed, the ‘Jackets held a 14-0 advantage, which seemed comfortable given that the Wolverines were getting nowhere on offense.
Trujillo had his best night of his varsity career thus far, catching five balls for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Nevertheless, they were all the points Williams would get as it could not establish a run game and was held to negative rushing yards for the remainder of the contest, a situation that nearly cost them the game.
That inability to sustain drives was understandably a concern for head coach Jeff Lemus as he explained after the game.
“We expected them to bring some pressure because their D-line is stout,” Lemus said. “But ultimately, our run game never developed. We simply weren’t able to run the ball and eat up the clock as we had planned.”
Still, one of the bright spots of the night was the ‘Jacket defense that forced six punts, stopped Biggs five times on fourth down, and yielded just 204 yards of offense.
It was an admirable effort by the Yellowjackets, especially in the final two minutes of the game after Biggs, fighting for a homecoming win, drew within six points.
While Williams recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, after the Wolverine touchdown, the offense was unable to run out the clock.
Making matters worse, an errant snap gave Biggs the ball at the ‘Jacket 25-yard line with 20 seconds remaining.
With three ticks left on the clock, Izael Velazquez looked to seal the win with an interception in the end zone, but the play was called back due to a roughing the passer call on Williams and gave the Wolverines one last play.
When the pass fell incomplete, the relief was evident on the Yellowjacket sideline, but the takeaway, stressed by Lemus and his staff was that in the end, the team notched its second straight win, and remains unbeaten against MVL opponents.
“We played a little more conservatively on defense than we normally do, and I’m okay with that,” Lemus said. “But overall, our guys played really well on that side of the ball. We struggled on offense, and need to get that figured out, but a win is a win.”
Velazquez led the defensive effort with 12 tackles, Ian Rosales made seven, and Cesar Flores and Ty Howell each collected six.
Trujillo, Flores, and Axel Velazquez all recorded sacks, while Correa made two big plays in the secondary breaking up passes.
For the offense, Solis completed 15 passes for 174 yards, despite being under nearly constant duress, a circumstance compounded by the fact that the ‘Jackets only managed 26 yards rushing as a team.
This week, Williams will need to shore up the interior line when it faces a much-improved Willows squad at McCarl Field on Friday night. ■