UPPER LAKE >> Upper Lake’s players sang the national anthem A Cappella as three Roseland Collegiate Prep players took a knee on the visiting sideline Saturday night during the Cougars’ 70-22 North Central League III North football victory on homecoming at Upper Lake High School.
So lopsided was the game that officials, with the consent of both coaches, began to run the clock with about 8:30 remaining in the second quarter. It was a prudent and merciful move given that Roseland Collegiate Prep, a first-year program, was trailing 46-6 at the time and was being abused by Upper Lake’s powerful rushing attack.
“I really liked our week of practice,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said following the game. “We had a lot of energy from our first group all the way down to our 18th guy. We know it’s going to be tougher next week when we play Anderson Valley. The last time we beat them was 2015 and we owe them one. They got us in the Redwood Bowl that year and they beat us at their place last year.”
The Cougars (2-0 North, 4-1 overall) scored on seven of eight possessions in the first half and it would have been eight-for-eight had not the Cougars fumbled away the ball at the Roseland Collegiate Prep 9-yard line late in the first quarter. Upper Lake added the two-point conversion after six of its seven scores while opening up a 54-6 halftime lead.
Roseland Collegiate Prep’s brief and only moment of glory in the first half came early in the first quarter when quarterback Saul Arizmendi rolled left and broke free into the Upper Lake secondary. He sprinted down the Cougars’ sideline with Upper Lake players in hot pursuit, but they couldn’t catch him before he completed his 85-yard touchdown run that cut the Cougars’ lead to 16-6.
If Roseland Collegiate Prep (0-2, 1-4) thought it was back in the game, it was just an illusion. While the Grizzlies did get the ball on Upper Lake’s lost fumble a few minutes later, they went nowhere and had to punt. Running back Dante Bassignani scored on the next play, blasting over the middle and going 49 yards for a touchdown and a 24-6 Upper Lake lead. Bassignani recovered a Roseland Collegeiate Prep fumble three plays later and the Cougars wasted no time in scoring again on a Chris Fecht 5-yard run for a 32-6 lead.
And that’s how the rest of the game would go.
Upper Lake’s first three plays on offense in the second quarter produced two more touchdowns and a 46-6 lead as fullback Jacob Kalawaia, who had two rushing scores in the first quarter, added a third TD with a 4-yard run. When the Cougars got their hands on the ball again just a short time later, quarterback Ray Moran hooked up with wide receiver Eddie Crandell on a 42-yard touchdown and a 46-6 lead. Moran’s 5-yard run just before halftime made it 54-6 as Kalawaia collected his fourth and final two-point conversion of the night.
Bassignani’s 25-yard interception for a touchdown opened Upper Lake’s scoring in the third quarter and Junior Fernandez added an 11-yard scoring run a few minutes later to push the Cougars’ lead to an eye-popping 70-6.
Long touchdown runs by Roseland Collegiate Prep fullback Andy Martinez against Upper Lake’s reserves – 65 yards in the third quarter and 34 yards in the fourth – allowed the Grizzlies to close the gap a bit.
Bassignani finished with a team-best 121 yards on nine carries. His fumble recovery that set up a touchdown and interception return for a score helped anchor the Upper Lake defense, which forced four turnovers overall.
“Dante has bounced back on offense and defense,” Smith said. “He was flying to the ball tonight, which is good to see.”
Although the game was incredibly one-sided, Smith said there were a handful of things the Cougars could take out of the game and feel pretty good about.
“Our senior leadership is the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Smith said with an eye toward Kalawaia, Bassignani and two-way starting lineman Kahlil George. “And our depth is back. We’re healthy again.”
After easy wins over Round Valley and Roseland Collegiate Prep in its first two North games, Upper Lake now enters the critical part of its schedule. The Cougars’ next three games are against North opponents Anderson Valley (home on Friday), South Fork (home on Oct. 13) and Laytonville (away on Oct. 20). South Fork is tied with Upper Lake at 2-0 atop the North standings while both Anderson Valley and Laytonville are 1-1.
“We’re going into the second half of our season and our attitude is in the right spot,” Smith said. “But if we don’t get past Anderson Valley, it doesn’t matter. We need to beat them.”
Game notes: Smith said his players approached him about singing the national anthem and the coaching staff had nothing to do with it.”That was their idea and they practiced it during the week. I thought it was a great idea.” Will they do it again this season? “They might,” Smith said.
