LAKEPORT — LJ Hopkins wasted no time at all getting the Westshore pee wee youth football team on the scoreboard Saturday as the Cardinals held off Cloverdale 27-19 at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport.
Westshore will take a 2-0 record into the Labor Day weekend when no games are scheduled. League play resumes Sept. 10 when the Cardinals visit Willits.
Cloverdale turned the ball over on downs to open the game and Hopkins scored on Westshore’s first offensive play, breaking up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown. Luke Percaccio’s extra-point run made it 7-0.
Although Cloverdale controlled the ball the rest of the opening quarter, Westshore’s defense kept the visitors out of the end zone. In fact, the defense went on to add to the Cardinals’ lead in the second quarter when Percaccio returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown, with Percaccio again adding the extra point for a 14-0 halftime lead.
Westshore continued to pull away in the third quarter on the strength of a 1- and 2-yard Percaccio scoring runs, the latter touchdown set up by an LJ Hopkins 40-yard run. Hopkins added the conversion after the 2-yard Percaccio TD to make it 27-0.
Cloverdale stormed back with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but Westshore made sure there would be no dramatic comeback as Damian McCloud’s 55-yard run sealed the victory as time ran out.
Westshore’s defense was led by McCloud with seven solo tackles and Anthony “Foxx” Crespo with six solo tackles.
In other action involving Westshore teams on Saturday, the junior varsity team beat Cloverdale 14-7 while the varsity lost 30-6.
