TOMALES — When you’ve waited nearly two years to play a football game, what’s another 45 minutes?
“We were all fired up and ready to go and then we just ended up waiting around,” Upper Lake head coach Vince Moran said of a 45-minute delay to the start of his team’s season opener against the Tomales Braves in Tomales.
The wait was worth it as the Cougars unleashed a multi-pronged running attack that produced a 46-0 non-league victory in the eight-man game. Running back Kyle Grandi rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns, fullback Bradley Sneathen added 82 yards and a TD, quarterback Cody Banks finished with 62 yards and two TDs, and Daylin Hamby added 22 yards and a TD.
An EMT unit was late in arriving to the game, delaying the start. After losing the entire 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, Moran said it was a small price to pay.
“I’m definitely pleased,” he said of his team’s first game since late October of 2019. “I wasn’t sure what we were going to get, but we had all of our guys going tonight. We did a good job.”
Between Grandi’s speed and Sneathen’s brute force, the Cougars (1-0) built a 24-0 halftime lead. Grandi scored on a 10-yard run early in the first quarter and Sneathen popped into the end zone on a 6-yard run later in the quarter. Grandi scored both conversion runs as the Cougars went up 16-0.
Grandi struck again in the second quarter, this time from 37 yards out, and Jerod Rosales added the conversion run to make it 24-0.
Banks, the Upper Lake quarterback, scored on runs of 32 and 5 yards in the third quarter as the Cougars pushed their advantage to 38-0. Hamby’s 10-yard run in the fourth quarter rounded out the scoring.
Upper Lake’s young offensive line also did well in its debut, according to Moran. Freshman Nick Barnes and sophomore Will Henry joined junior Joey Franklin up front.
“I don’t think Will came off the field all game,” Moran said.
The Cougars finished with 287 rushing yards and no turnovers. Neither team threw the ball much. Banks went 4-for-6 for 32 yards, three of those completions going to Elijah Alvarez for 29 yards overall.
Upper Lake also came out of the game injury free, according to Moran.
The Cougars have a bye next weekend before returning to action Sept. 10 at home against Crystal Springs.
