LOWER LAKE — While the defending North Coast Section Division V champion Hoopa Warriors scored enough times to take up permanent residence in the Lower Lake end zone on Friday night, the overmatched Trojans found themselves in the O-zone.
In all, the Warriors scored eight touchdowns to thoroughly rain on Mike Huffman”s coming out party as Lower Lake”s first-year varsity coach, 54-0. To put it as mildly as possible, it was a disappointing debut for the 32-year-old coach, who is attempting to build a winning program at Lower Lake. The bulldozers resting outside Gordon Sadler Stadium in a land-clearing project could do no better at flattening the surface than the job the Warriors were subjecting the Trojans to on the inside.
Hoopa drove to TDs on its first five offensive series and six of their first seven to lead 41-0 at the half. Running the Warriors” triple-option attack flawlessly, quarterback Sonny Ryles led the onslaught by scoring the first three TDs on runs of 17, 42 and 53 yards, and he added another scoring run from 33 yards later in the half. The Lower Lake defense was torn to shreds as the Warriors scored on drives of four, three, one, three, three and four plays.
Offensively, the Trojans fared no better, turning the ball over on two fumbles and two interceptions.
It was plain from the opening kickoff that this game would be no tailgate party for Lower Lake. Not when you consider the Warriors had shut out their last four opponents dating back to last season”s championship run. Fourteen returning members of that team — seven defensive starters and seven offensive starters, including the relentless Ryles — confronted Lower Lake in its 2011 opener.
Huffman attempted to put the best spin possible on the rout in order to placate his players and massage some bruised egos.
“I told them at halftime we had to get them stopped once and get one score. I think this will turn around by week four,” he said, hopefully. “The way I look at it is that this team (Hoopa) hasn”t been scored on in five games.
The Trojans did manage to force the Warriors to punt twice … a small patch of sunlight in a torrential storm.
But the Trojans” only scoring bid, one in which they drove from their own 15 to the Warrior 13 midway through the second quarter, ended in an interception of a pass thrown by Lower Lake quarterback Richard Tucker.
Lower Lake managed 118 yards passing and 93 yards rushing.
Otherwise, it was a night for Hoopa to “hoop it up.”
