MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – Emotions were running high last Friday night in Maxwell, boosted not only by the Mid-Valley League showdown between its top two teams that happen to be county rivals, but also due to it being the Panthers’ homecoming.
However, it the midst of it all, the Williams Yellowjackets were able to put all the distractions aside as they went on to claim a 29-19 victory over Maxwell and in the process knock the Panthers out of a first-place tie in the standings.
Still, at the outset the final result was not obvious given that Maxwell held the ‘Jackets to a three-and-out on the opening possession, then embarked on a 62-yard drive of its own that resulted in the game’s first points.
Lucas Bowen got the ball rolling with a big run on his initial carry and had an additional 15 yards added on to the end of it after a Williams penalty, before Vincent Orozco ultimately scored on a keeper from three yards out.
Regardless, Williams was undeterred, striking back on their ensuing possession when Azael Velazquez weaved his way through the line then sprinted 31 yards to the end zone, although the Panther defense stopped the attempted two-point try to preserve the 7-6 lead.
Moving into the second quarter, Maxwell was able to increase its advantage when at the 8:15 mark, Bowen raced 26 yards to the house making the score 13-6.
But once again, the ‘Jackets responded, this time with an eight-play drive that featured heavy doses of Azael Velazquez, but also a key pair of completions from quarterback Gio Velazquez to Varion Gonzalez and Eric Lievanos.
Yet, it was Azael Velazquez, with an assist from his line pushing his way in for the score, his second of what would be four on the night.
Williams then tacked on the two-point try to take a 14-13 lead after Gio Velazquez rolled to the right then scrambled back to his left to take it in himself.
Although there were nearly four minutes remaining at that juncture, the ensuing Panther drive ended just before intermission with an unsuccessful long field goal attempt.
Coming out after halftime, Maxwell saw its initial drive end on an interception by Williams’s Anthony Gonzalez in the end zone, but after forcing the Yellowjackets to turn the ball over on downs, regained the advantage 19-14 following a one-yard plunge by Orozco for the touchdown.
Nonetheless, the fourth quarter belonged to the ‘Jackets, as they forced two turnovers and recovered a fumbled kickoff return, capitalizing on the opportunities to put the game out of reach.
Giovanni Luna’s pick with seven minutes remaining led to a third Azael Velazquez touchdown, this one from 30 yards out, while Ricardo Medina made his with one minute left on the clock which allowed Velazquez to add one more score to the total.
Offensively, Williams rolled up 324 total yards showing that it can throw the ball with success as well as just running it, something that bodes well as they move forward.
Azael Velazquez continued his impressive season carrying 27 times for 216 yards, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark and sitting third in rushing yards in the Northern Section, while additionally ranking second in touchdowns scored with 18.
Another noteworthy performance was turned in by Gio Velazquez who continues to improve, showing confidence and throwing with accuracy.
For the offense’s success, Coach Forrest Bateman credited assistant coach Mo Hernandez, the former ‘Jacket, who coordinates the passing game and as a senior in 2019 led the section in passing yards with 2368.
Yet, for as well as the offense performed, the defense deserves its share of credit for in the win, consistently rallying to the ball and containing Maxwell.
Luna led the charge with 14 tackles and a sack in addition to making an interception, Javier Saavedra collected 13 tackles, Medina accounted for 11. Gonzalez pitched in with nine and two sacks, while Everardo Ornelas finished with seven, three for losses and recovered a fumble.
Overall, Bateman likes the progress he is seeing in his team explaining that, “We started out a little slow tonight, but we weathered the storm. We have told them that good teams find a way to win when things go against them. We passed that test tonight and proved that we are a good team. Our defense really provided a spark tonight, they were fantastic.”
Meanwhile for the Panthers’ offense, Orozco rushed for 100 yards and two scores, with Bowen going for 87 and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to overcome four second half giveaways.
Landon Barrett’s 14 tackles led the defensive charge and put him among the top tacklers in the Northern Section averaging 13.2 per game. Bowen did his part registering 13, but the Maxwell defense struggled to slow down the Yellowjackets’ late in the game.
Now tied with Los Molinos atop the MVL standings, Williams (6-1, 3-0) welcomes Biggs to McCarl Field on Oct. 16, while the Panthers (5-2, 2-1) look to regroup when they head to Hamilton City that same evening.