UPPER LAKE >> Dre Santos made a long-lasting memory for himself and his family on Saturday as the Upper Lake Cougars bounced the Los Molinos Bulldogs 44-20 in non-league varsity football action at Upper Lake High School.
Apart from leading his team to a victory that puts it back to the .500 mark on the season at 4-4, Santos, a senior running back, celebrated Upper Lake’s final home game by scoring six touchdowns and 42 of the Cougars’ 44 points.
How good of a day was it for Santos, whose up-and-down senior year included being ejected from a non-league loss to Branson on a questionable call and then serving a mandated one-game suspension for that ejection that kept him out of a league win over Tomales?
Well, by any gauge such things, it was pretty damn good.
He carried the ball 16 times and rushed for 189 yards, including touchdown runs of 5 and 9 yards in the first quarter, 7 yards in the second quarter and 38 yards in the third quarter.
He caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that was notable for another reason because it was the first TD thrown by quarterback Ray Moran at the varsity level.
He returned an interception nearly the length of the 80-yard-long field used by the Cougars in eight-man football, a 77-yard pick-six score that gave the Cougars a commanding 30-6 lead with just seconds remaining in the first quarter.
He rushed for three two-point conversions.
“It was a senior going away party,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said of Santos, who along with seven other seniors on the roster was honored during halftime. “Six touchdowns! And they were not garbage-time TDs.” While Upper Lake blitzed Los Molinos (3-5) to the tune of a 30-6 first quarter, the Bulldogs hung around, so much so that they were one touchdown away from getting back right back into the game on a handful of occasions. The Cougars’ defense, anchored by newcomer Dante Bassignani, simply made sure that didn’t happen with a combination of clutch play on critical downs, and by forcing three turnovers in all, two of which led to touchdowns, one directly on Santos’ interception return.
Bassignani, a junior, filled in for Jacob Kalawaia (sore ankle) and made an immediate impact on both sides of the line of scrimmage. He was making his season debut after being academically ineligible for the first seven weeks of the season.
“What a difference he would have made against Rincon Valley and Branson earlier in the season,” Smith said. “He couldn’t wait to get out there.”
Bassignani rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries and made some bone-jarring hits on defense, one of them leaving a Los Molinos player resting on his back for a few nervous moments (he was OK).
Despite his nagging injury, Kalawaia participated in a handful of plays and made them count. Although he didn’t carry the ball, the junior fullback defensive end did register two of Upper Lake’s four sacks and recover a fumble. Pancho Flores had the other two sacks.
“It was nice to see Jacob get some snaps,” Smith said.
Moran, son of offensive coordinator Vince Moran, started in place of Derek Pritchard, who was held out of action until the fourth quarter for disciplinary issues. The sophomore carried the ball twice for 16 yards and completed 4 of 8 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown and one interception. His elusiveness as a runner allowed him to stay away from Los Molinos’ pass rush all game and he was not sacked. In fact, he escaped a sack in the first quarter to complete his 3-yard touchdown pass to Santos.
“He did everything we asked him to do and he has more to prove,” Smith said. “He can extend plays with his running ability. We’re looking forward to having him around for a couple of more seasons.”
Los Molinos quarterback Alex Russell almost single-handedly kept the Bulldogs afloat with his running (25 carries for 157 yards) and passing (10-for-16 for 149 yards, 3 TDs). All three of his touchdown passes went to tight end Kyle Wood (six catches for 108 yards), who the Cougars had a hard time slowing down at the line of scrimmage
Upper Lake closes out its season Friday night in Laytonville. At 3-3 in league and 4-4 overall, the Cougars need a win to finish with a winning record on both counts.
