LAKE COUNTY >> Clear Lake lost two players within minutes of each other, Kelseyville walked off the field a winner in the third quarter, Upper Lake and Lower Lake opened a new season with losses in Nevada, and the Middletown Mustangs picked up pretty much where they off last season by shutting out the Hercules Titans.
Welcome to Week 1 of the high school football season, which was a bit out of the ordinary, including only two junior varsity games taking place (Middletown’s JVs won big, Clear Lake’s JVs lost big).
Berean Christian raised the white flag early in a 22-12 loss at Kelseyville, where the game was called in the third quarter because the Eagles were down to only 12 healthy players, and the goings-on at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport also turned a bit bizarre.
A few minutes after Chris White, making his first varsity start at quarterback for the Cardinals, was ejected in the second quarter, star running back Rodrigo Lupercio, an All-League first-team selection a year ago as a junior, went down with an injury.
Just like that, the two key components to Clear Lake’s offense were gone. The Cardinals’ defense kept the game from getting completely out of hand, according to Clear Lake coach Mark Cory, who said the weirdness wasn’t lost on him.
“It was kind of like the Twilight Zone a little bit,” Cory said.
White was ejected from the game for allegedly kicking a Colusa player. He’ll have to sit out the Cardinals’ road game Friday against Pierce.
In the Silver State, where both the Trojans (on Friday) and Cougars (on Saturday) got things rolling, Lower Lake lost a 34-27 heartbreaker to Carson High School of Carson City, that after leading 27-6 midway through the third quarter. There was no such suspense for the young Cougars, who fell 50-6 to Virginia City, the No. 3-ranked eight-man football team in Nevada.
Meanwhile Middletown was, well, Middletown. The Mustangs proved brutally efficient on defense, allowing Hercules into Mustangs territory only once.
Following is a look back at the highlights and lowlights of Week 1:
Statistics
(Most Kelseyville stats not reported)
Rushing — Middletown’s Drake Harbison rushed for 53 yards and two TDs while Upper Lake quarterback Ray Moran picked up 51 yards on only five carries. Middletown fullback Nash Field had 49 yards on nine carries, and Lower Lake quarterback Elijah Hernandez had 42 yards and a TD.
Passing — Hernandez, in his first Lower Lake start, went 18-for-33 for 256 yards and three touchdowns. He had a fourth TD called back on a penalty. Middletown’s RH Hess, also in his first varsity start, went 8-for-12 for 108 yards and two TDs.
Receiving — Lower Lake’s Darian James caught six passes for 84 yards, three of them for TDs. Teammate Diego Gonzalez had 86 yards on four carries. Other leaders were Middletown’s Nico Barrio with three catches for 49 yards and a TD, and Upper Lake’s Russell Gordon Jr. with three receptions for 56 yards and a TD.
Special teams
Kicking — Middletown kicker Casey Chicoine went 4-for-4 on extra-point kicks.
Defense
Stepping up — Lower Lake’s Cole Doud sacked the Carson quarterback three times. Middletown’s Harbison had two sacks against Hercules. Kelseyville’s Zack Watkins picked off two passes. Upper Lake’s Armando Santos had a team-best 10 tackles and an interception.
This and that
Game lost, game gained — Upper Lake’s home game this Friday with Potter Valley is off after the Bearcats folded their program because they didn’t have enough players. However, South Fork had an open date on its schedule, so the Cougars will travel north to Miranda on Friday night. They’ll play the Cubs again later this season in a North Central League III game.
For clarity’s sake — Middletown’s game against Berean Christian of Walnut Creek is Saturday afternoon, not on Friday night.
Beautiful gesture — Virginia City not only hosted Upper Lake’s players for a barbecue after their game on Saturday, but the Virginia City fans took up a collection for Kellen Smith, the son of Upper Lake coach Mike Smith, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident earlier this month. They raised more than $500.
Injury demon be gone — Two of Lake County’s top running backs, Clear Lake’s Lupercio and Kelseyville’s Adrian Villalobos, both All-Leaguers, have been lost to injuries so far this season and it isn’t even September.
Welcome to Lower Lake — Lower Lake senior Diego Gonzalez, a transfer from Elsie Allen (Santa Rosa), made a good first impression with the Trojans in their opener against Carson. He not only caught 86 yards worth of passes, but he led the team with nine unassisted tackles.
