UPPER LAKE — Once the Lower Lake Trojans got rolling on offense, there was just no stopping them here Saturday as they handed the Upper Lake Cougars another in a series of lopsided losses, 56-14, in a North Central League I interlock varsity football game at Upper Lake.
Sophomore running back Roy Percoats powered a Lower Lake running game that nearly produced three 100-yard rushers. Percoats gained 148 yards on 19 carries, including touchdown runs of 1, 16, 6 and 27 yards, as the Trojans (1-3) registered their first win of the season.
Percoats” big day overshadowed a couple of other noteworthy performances by Lower Lake running backs. E.J. Jermany had 107 yards on the ground, caught three passes for 57 yards, including a 30-yard TD reception early in the second quarter that got the Trojans onto the scoreboard, and the junior also returned a kickoff 66 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter to give Lower Lake a 43-6 lead.
Also well on his way to 100 yards rushing was the third member of the Lower Lake backfield, Jack O”Hara, who finished with 88 yards on 19 carries and a 1-yard TD late in the fourth quarter that rounded out the scoring for Lower Lake.
“Once we were able to get ahead, we were able to run the ball fairly well,” Lower Lake coach Stan Weiper said of the Trojans” 374 yards on the ground. “I wanted to pass more, but with the wind it was tough. Once we started running the ball with some success, we didn”t have to (pass much).”
The breakout game for the younger Trojans couldn”t have come at a better time, according to Weiper.
“We needed something to get us over the hump,” he said. “We”ve been improving, we improved some more today, and hopefully we”ll keep improving the rest of the season.”
Upper Lake (1-3) suffered its third straight one-sided loss, this one following on the heels of 66-0 and 62-0 defeats to Fort Bragg and Middletown, respectively.
“We played it tight for the first quarter, then we beat ourselves with a bunch of mistakes,” Upper Lake coach Airic Guerrero said. “Every time we set up a big drive we got hurt by a big penalty. And we had a touchdown brought back on a penalty. That deflated us. That”s when you started seeing heads go down.”
The play Guerrero was referring to was a 49-yard touchdown run by Brandon Bills late in the second quarter and the Cougars already trailing 16-0. It was wiped out by a holding penalty.
Upper Lake”s day started out well enough as its defense held on downs on each of Lower Lake”s first two possessions in the first quarter, including one that stalled at the Cougar 5.
Lower Lake finally broke through on its third possession, one that began late in the first quarter after Upper Lake failed to convert a fourth-and-one from the Lower Lake 47-yard line. The Trojans stuffed quarterback Mike Cox at the line of scrimmage for no gain.
Lower Lake took over and worked the ball down to the Upper Lake 7 using nothing but runs. But three penalties by the Trojans pushed the ball back to the 30. After an incomplete pass on second-and-goal, quarterback Stephen Whitcomb found Jermany alone down the Upper Lake sideline for a 30-yard touchdown strike.
Whitcomb”s pass to Carmari Onwuasoeze on the conversion made it 8-0 with 10:51 left in the second quarter.
After forcing an Upper Lake punt, the Trojans took over at their own 14 and marched 86 yards in nine plays, the final one an 11-yard touchdown pass from Whitcomb to Onwuasoeze. Whitcomb added the conversion run to make it 16-0.
That probably would have been the halftime score but as Upper Lake was about to punt late in the period, Cox couldn”t handle the snap cleanly and had to eat the ball at the Cougars” 30-yard line.
Lower Lake found the end zone six plays later as Percoats scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard run.
“Our mood was still pretty good at halftime,” Guerrero said.
The Trojans” ground game completely dominated the second half. Percoats” 16-yard run capped an eight-play, 84-yard drive on Lower Lake”s first possession of the third quarter.
Upper Lake handed the ball right back to the Trojans three plays later, Justin Harrison pouncing on a fumble at the Lower Lake 35. Lower Lake covered the 65 yards in 10 plays, nine of them runs, and Percoats” 6-yard TD scamper made it 36-0 as George Novak kicked his second straight extra point.
Upper Lake finally answered in the fourth quarter, Cox hooking up with Ben Britten on a 47-yard touchdown strike that made it 36-6. But Jermany returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards for a score as Lower Lake went up 43-6.
Percoats” 27-yard run capped a three-play mini-drive a few minutes later to make it 49-6.
Another deep Lower Lake drive stalled on downs at the Upper Lake 3, but the Cougars promptly lost a fumble that Lower Lake recovered at the 1. O”Hara scored on the next play to make it 56-6 with 2:51 left.
Upper Lake came back with a 42-yard touchdown pass from James O”Connor to Cox, O”Connor adding the conversion run.
Trying to find a bright side in Upper Lake”s third straight loss, Guerrero said the Cougars didn”t endure the physical pounding they had the two previous weeks against Fort Bragg and Middletown and suffered no new injuries.
“If everyone can stay healthy, we should be OK the rest of the way,” Guerrero said.
On offense, Guerrero said he was encouraged that the Cougars were able to move the ball. Unable to reach Fort Bragg territory even once the week before, Upper Lake scored twice and moved the ball across the 50 four other times against the Trojans.
Lance McCloud returned to the Upper Lake lineup and led the Cougars with 48 yards on 15 carries. Cox also had a busy day, including 45 yards on 12 carries, 4 of 10 passing for 88 yards and a TD, and a 42-yard TD reception.
Lower Lake outgained Upper Lake 442-259.
