Record-Bee sports editor
UPPER LAKE — When Ian Seevers broke loose around right end for an 85-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the game, the Upper Lake Cougars seemed on their way Saturday afternoon against the Kelseyville Knights in the season opener for both of these varsity football teams at Upper Lake.
And they were, only not to the outcome they could have possibly imagined after Gabe Anderson ran in the conversion to make it 8-0 with 11:05 showing on the clock. It was all Kelseyville after that and then some as the Knights and first-year coach Mike McGuire rolled to a 68-8 shellacking of the Cougars, a game that featured a running clock the entire second half.
Seevers” quick strike inflicted about as much damage as a spit wad thrown against a tank as far as the Knights (1-0) were concerned.
“It didn”t faze us one bit,” McGuire said. “My boys are very resilient. They”re up to the challenge.”
The Knights simply took care of business the rest of the day, scoring on all five of their possessions in the first quarter for a 38-8 lead. They had three more possessions in the second quarter and scored each time, making them a perfect 8-for-8 in a first half that took 90 minutes to complete.
Kelseyville attempted only two passes all day and sophomore quarterback Noah Lyndall completed both, including a 19-yard touchdown strike to running back Robert McLean late in the opening quarter. It was the Knights” running game that inflicted nearly all the damage, led by Kevin Duty (seven carries for 82 yards, two TDs), McLean (eight carries for 77 yards, three TDs), and Julius Nelson (two carries for 88 yards, one TD).
The holes for Duty, McLean, Nelson and a host of other Kelseyville running backs who toted the football before this game ended were giant most of the day.
“When you have that kind of success running the ball you have to give credit to the line,” McGuire said. “We”ve got kids who are (college) prospect playing on our line and it showed today.”
Tackle Codi McGuire and center Marc Erickson led the way, according to McGuire, who said his line coach, Jim Ducoty, does an excellent job with his players.
“Our line played fantastic today,” McGuire added.
“They”ve got guys in front blocking for some very good running backs,” Upper Lake coach Alex Stabiner added. “It”s only the first week of the season but they”ve got it going.”
Upper Lake”s new 3-5 defense didn”t have much luck stopping Kelseyville”s running backs whether it was up the gut or to the outside, where there was often no one around to contain. Kelseyville took full advantage, time and time again, and also benefited from a short field on its final three possessions of the first quarter, starting from the Upper Lake 29 (on downs), Upper Lake 19 (after a dropped punt snap) and Upper Lake 31 (following an interception by Jonathon Smith).
“That was my fault,” Stabiner said of the Cougars” decision to go for it on a fourth-and-15 from their own 26-yard line midway through the first quarter. “I had a brain fart calling that play.”
Seevers” early touchdown run didn”t give Upper Lake the lead for long. The Knights pulled even at 8-8 less than two minutes later on a McLean 8-yard run and Duty”s conversion run. They went in front to stay 14-8 on a 70-yard run by Nelson with 7:25 left in the first quarter. After the Cougars failed to convert their fourth-and-15 play, Duty picked up the first of his three touchdowns on the day with a 5-yard run with 3:57 left in the quarter, Lyndall passing to Duty for the conversion to make it 22-8.
Following the botched punt snap by Upper Lake, Kelseyville went 19 yards in one play, Lyndall hooking up with McLean for the touchdown. Nelson added the conversion run to make it 30-8. Smith”s interception, which he returned to the Upper Lake 31, set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Justin Johnson two plays later. Lyndall”s pass to David Simonson on the conversion made it 38-8 with 45.1 seconds to go.
The second quarter was more of the same as McLean scored on a 5-yard run following a Tyler Riewertz fumble recovery at the Upper Lake 19 — it was the first of three fumble recoveries by Riewertz. The Knights moved 57 yards in five plays on their next drive, McLean scoring from five yards out. Duty scored on a 23-yard run — after a Riewertz fumble recovery — with 5:08 left in the first half to make it 56-8.
If you”re wondering what Upper Lake”s offense was doing between Kelseyville touchdowns, the answer is not much. Following Seevers” score, the Cougars didn”t pick up another first down until right before halftime. Upper Lake moved the ball to the Knights 20 but ran out of time, having expended all its timeouts earlier in the half.
The Knights scored one touchdown in each of the final two quarters. Duty returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards to make it 62-8, and Ish Luis-Acosta scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
The moods of the two teams were as far apart as the final score once the final seconds mercifully ticked off the clock.
“I”m a very pleased as a head coach,” McGuire said when asked to rate his team”s first performance of the season. “How could you not be? I like the relationship between the players and the coaches here. It”s as near perfect of a situation as I”ve ever been in.”
Stabiner, assessing the damage done to his team in week one, wouldn”t point any fingers. “The defense needs work, but this is about both sides of the ball,” said Stabiner, none too pleased with an offense in which Seevers was the only appreciable threat.
“He”s strong, fast and has a lot of heart,” Stabiner said. “I wish we had 11 guys like that on both sides of the ball but it”s more like five or six right now. The only thing we can do is show up on Monday (for practice) and get better.”
