Fifty percent Moon Bay’s rushing attack is too much to handle in substantial-scoring earn at Menlo

ATHERTON — Fifty percent Moon Bay does not always want to just operate the soccer only. But head mentor Keith Holden is not a fool.

“When we’re obtaining five or six [yards per carry], it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re really very good. Let us not recreate the wheel,’” Holden reported.

It was triple possibility soccer in its purest and finest way for Fifty percent Moon Bay on Friday afternoon at Menlo School, with the Cougars rushing the ball 67 situations for 462 yards — an normal of 6.9 yards per carry — in a 53-42 gain over the Knights in a PAL/SCVAL Bay Division barnburner.

“Damn, that’s hella,” 50 % Moon Bay’s Owen Miller stated when told the rushing property overall. “That’s a great deal. That’s a great deal.”

It is an specifically agonizing selection to swallow for Menlo head mentor Todd Smith, who also coordinates the Knights’ defense. But he experienced to give credit to the execution of 50 % Moon Bay, who stored the ball on offense for 35 minutes and 50 seconds of the 48-minute sport.

“They really did a excellent task,” Smith said. “We knew what performs had been coming, and when you know what plays are coming and still can not cease it and they really don't unfold you out and place you in the box, you have constrained possibilities.”

The heaviest load on the ground came from senior PJ Modena, who concluded with 30 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns, additionally a two-place conversion operate-in. Perhaps most outstanding: Modena was under no circumstances tackled for a reduction.

“It’s definitely up to my line pet dogs — if it wasn’t for them, I would not have received yardage currently,” Modena said. “That’s mainly all them. But we did seriously fantastic working the ball, we had actually very good participate in phone calls now and we executed.”

But for 50 percent Moon Bay (6-1, 2-1), the well balanced hurrying attack also saw Dio Lucido rush for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and junior Harrison Tobias consider 13 rushes for 97 yards, like a 61-lawn landing run.

Fifty percent Moon Bay quarterback Liam Harrington included 86 yards on nine rushes in the very first 50 percent just before he remaining the video game since of a probable head injury. Miller stepped in at quarterback, however his job as the fill-in is rather straightforward.

“They make it so significantly less complicated for me to do my work. All I’ve got to do is consider a snap, give it to them and they make anything materialize,” Miller reported. “Good things take place when they have the ball.”

Menlo proceeds to see its roster thin by injuries, together with a gruesome leg injuries to junior backup quarterback Mikey McGrath that ended final week’s win about Aragon early. Best rusher Willis Johnson, a junior, also missed Friday’s game with a shoulder damage and may be out for a when.

But the Knights (4-3, 1-1) received off to a sturdy begin in this sport thanks to senior Ty Richardson. On the third participate in of the video game, Richardson intercepted the very first of 50 % Moon Bay’s four go makes an attempt on the day and ran it back again 33 yards for a touchdown.

Then, immediately after a lengthy Cougar touchdown generate and a unsuccessful onside kick attempt, Richardson took a handoff at the Menlo 47, bobbled the ball 10 yards downfield but recollected it and raced to the endzone for a 53-lawn landing. By the time the first quarter had finished, Menlo experienced a person offensive enjoy and Richardson experienced two touchdowns.

“He provides every little thing, man,” Smith mentioned of Richardson, who also experienced a receiving touchdown late in the activity. “He’s a dynamic soccer participant, but he’s an even improved kid. That child justifies just about every good factor that will come his way. He’s these kinds of an outstanding kid on and off the subject.

But all that time on the discipline grew to become frustrating for the Knights protection, as the churning Cougar offense scored points on all but one of its drives in the last three quarters, and touchdowns on all but two. With small time on the subject, Menlo’s offense didn’t locate a rhythm in the to start with fifty percent and went into the break down 24-13.

Led by senior quarterback Jake Bianchi, the Knights located that rhythm after halftime, with Bianchi finding up 259 yards passing in the second half. Menlo even experienced a possibility to tie the match just after a Half Moon Bay fumble midway by means of the third was instantly answered by a 22-property landing go from Bianchi to junior Brady Jung, but the 2-issue try at tying the sport at 31 was no good.

“I was genuinely delighted with our offense,” Smith claimed. “This is a new program and some new language, and that is not constantly effortless. They had been performing to find their id. Fifty percent Moon Bay’s a very good football crew, and I seriously imagine they did a superior career to construct confidence.”