Information for this football story was provided by Sabinal sports correspondent Joe Redus.
Sabinal’s Yellowjackets combined the running of Israel Gallegos and the passing of Noah Rodriguez with stout defensive play last Friday night as they rolled to a 46-0 football rout against the La Pryor Bulldogs
The Yellowjackets scored three times in the first period and three times in the second period to fashion an insurmountable 40-0 half-time lead.
They then added a touchdown in the third period to top off their scoring total. Running back Israel Gonzales scored the first two touchdowns of the game for Sabinal. He tallied on runs of 21 yards and 51 yards.
Gonzales, who wound up with 10 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns, ran 51 yards for a Sabinal touchdown early in the second period.
Defensive end Landon Atkinson returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown to give the Yellowjackets a 19-0 lead by the end of the first period.
During the final three minutes of the first half, quarterback Noah Rodriguez tossed a couple of touchdown passes. He completed a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Brandon Gomez for six points at the 2:40 mark of the period.
Rodriguez combined with tight end Michael Ringer for a 43-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left in the half.
With 3:35 remaining in the third period, Ringer scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to top off the scoring for the Jackets.
Sabinal dominated the game statistics.
The Yellowjackets topped La Pryor, 15-5 in first downs and 422-144 in total offensive yards.
Leading Sabinal’s offensive charge were linemen Lorenzo Castillo, Feliciano Nira, Austin Lopez, Jacob Flores, Chuy Gonzales, and Ryan Wells. Nira and Lopez rotated at one offensive guard spot.
“Our offensive line played extremely well,” said Sabinal head football coach Jeff Kowalski.
Noah Rodriguez completed 10 out of 13 passes attempted for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
“Noah grew up a lot in this game and showed a lot of poise,” said Kowalski.
Michael Ringer had 10 rushes for 81 yards and one touchdown, while Johnny Rodriguez caught six passes for 138 yards.
Defensively, the Jackets recorded their first shutout of the season.
They limited La Pryor to only 128 yards rushing and 16 yards passing.
The Jackets also forced two La Pryor fumbles.
“Austin Lopez, our middle linebacker, played his best game of the season,” said Kowalski.
Now 2-1 in District 15-2 Division II football action and 2-6 for the season overall, the Jackets will travel to Benavides to take on the winless Benavides Eagles, 0-2 and 0-7 tomorrow night. Next week, the Jackets will face the Bruni Badgers in a game at Sabinal that could be for the runner-up spot in the district standings.
