MIRANDA — The only thing better than beating South Fork 36-0 to clinch the North Central League II football championship Friday night was routing the Cubs on their homefield in Miranda, which has been nothing less than a chamber of horrors for the Upper Lake Cougars in recent seasons.
Upper Lake turned the tables on the Cubs this time around while completing a perfect run through the league standings, which should earn the Cougars, 6-2 overall, a high seeding Sunday when the North Coast Section releases the eight-man football tournament field, which can include up to eight teams.
“I think we should be the No. 2 seed,” Upper Lake head coach Vince Moran said.
Undefeated Branson School of Ross (8-0) figures to be the top seed. If Upper Lake is No. 2, the Cougars will open the playoffs at home next weekend and perhaps even play a second game at home if they can advance past the first round.
After absorbing several lopsided losses in Miranda in recent seasons, Moran said it was a great feeling walking off that field with a big victory and a league pennant.
“Best place for it to happen,” Moran said. “It’s a great feeling and we’re not done yet.”
Upper Lake mounted a balanced offensive attack while its defense shut out South Fork for a second time this season. The two teams met two weeks ago in Upper Lake in a non-league game, the Cougars emerging with a 16-0 victory.
“Hats off to South Fork because they have a good group of kids,” Moran said of the Cubs (3-1, 5-4), another candidate for the playoffs.
Upper Lake got off to a great start beginning with a Cody Banks 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, the Cougars’ Will Henry unintentionally drilled a low liner that ricocheted off of one of South Fork’s up men and landed in front of Upper Lake’s Luke Summerfield, who recovered the ball.
On the very next play, Upper Lake freshman quarterback Jerod Rosales connected with Kyle Grandi for a 40-yard score, the first of his three touchdown passes on the night. Fullback Bradley Sneathen added the conversion run for a 14-0 lead.
South Fork came right back with a drive that went inside Upper Lake’s 5-yard-line where the Cougars held on downs.
“We had a couple of goal-line stands that were pretty big,” Moran said. “They (Cubs) were moving the ball at the beginning of the game, but when we recovered that kickoff and scored again, the momentum really swung in our favor.”
Upper Lake moved out to a 22-0 lead on a Rosales 8-yard touchdown pass to Sneathen in the second quarter, Sneathen again running in the conversion.
Rosales and Grandi hooked up for a second touchdown, this time a 19-yarder in the third quarter, to give the Cougars a 30-0 lead as Banks added the conversion run.
The final play of the game produced the final points as Upper Lake defensive end Joey Franklin sacked South Fork’s quarterback, stripping him of the ball in the process. Henry recovered the fumble and motored 35 yards for the touchdown.
Upper Lake sacked the quarterback nine times and Franklin had seven of those.
“He had himself a game,” Moran said of the junior. “He teed off on that quarterback and the ball shot out when he hit him. He’s been playing great all year, but since the start of league play he’s at another level.”
Upper Lake’s offense has played at another level since a midseason switch saw Banks move from quarterback to running back while Rosales took over behind center.
“It ended up being the perfect move for us,” Moran said. “It moved Cody to a more natural position for him, and it gave us more weapons.”
Banks led the Cougars with 75 yards on 12 carries while Rosales went 9-for-12 for 144 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. Grandi finished with three catches for 64 yards and two TDs.
On defense, the Cougars forced three turnovers, including a Banks interception. Banks and Henry joined Franklin with quarterback sacks.
Moran said playing two 11-man games midseason against Maxwell and Williams, both losses at home, helped toughen up the Cougars for their undefeated league run and four-game winning streak to close out the regular season.
