Chavez runs away with 49-8 win over Wasco

Oct. 7—Chalk up another dominant win for a Chavez team that seems to be hitting its stride at the perfect time.

Facing a Wasco team known for fast starts, the Titans struck first and never looked back, intercepting three passes and holding the Tigers to one touchdown in a 49-8 victory.

"It was a big test for us, and I thought we responded with some pretty good execution," Chavez coach Jesse Ortega said.

The Titans have now outscored their last three opponents — all in league play — by a combined 142 points.

In a battle of two of the South Sequoia League's top rushing attacks, the Chavez defense held Wasco's Izaiah Juarez to 65 yards on 19 carries, while the Titans' Israel Gonzalez broke free for 152 yards and each of the game's first four touchdowns. Gonzalez also had some good luck on his side, with teammates recovering his fumbles on either side of the halftime break.

"This whole week we're going in thinking, we knew they were going to be a tough team," Gonzalez said, "so we practiced tough the whole week preparing for Wasco, and honestly they put up a good fight."

Not for the first time this season, Ortega credited his assistant coaches for the success of the rushing attack.

"They put these guys in a lot of tough situations during practice," he said, "and they make sideline adjustments and these kids respond because they're very coachable."

The emphasis on ball control was key given Wasco's propensity for fourth-down conversions and onside kicks. That has earned them plenty of wins under Chad Martinez. But from their first drive the Tigers looked out of sync on offense, losing yardage on a pair of quarterback-center exchanges and punting after five plays to give Chavez a short field, which led to Gonzalez's first score.

"We were concerned with them as far as possession of the ball, and if their run game gets going, you know how that goes," Ortega said. "So it was important for us to make sure we try to keep the ball as much as possible."

The Tigers found their groove and put together a sustained drive, but at Chavez's 37 it stalled on a failed fourth-and-9 tight-end screen. Early in the second quarter, Wasco met a similar fate when linebacker Matthew Guerra fell on a bad snap on fourth-and-11.

Both teams' drives got shorter and shorter. Chavez and Wasco each failed on fourth down before a 16-yard connection from Santana Morales to Ryan Ruiz set up Gonzalez's second score, then an interception immediately led to his third. Suddenly it was 21-0 late in the first half.

The Titans almost extended their lead further in the dying moments on a pick-six by Joseph Garcia, but it was called back due to a chop block and Chavez ran out the clock instead.

It wouldn't take long for the Titans to extend their lead further, after a failed Tigers onside kick and a penalty for roughing the passer prompted a five-play touchdown drive.

Wasco looked set to respond right away after a big kick return into Chavez territory, but a 3-yard loss for Isaiah Acosta on third-and-4 followed by a Manzo incompletion derailed that series. They did get on the board later in the third, though, after a pair of 29-yard connections between Manzo and Acosta and a quarterback sneak for a 2-point conversion made it 28-8.

With a secure lead, the Titans spiced things up in the fourth quarter, using a perfectly executed read-option keeper for a 12-yard Morales run on third-and-10 before Morales found Ruiz for a 24-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-8 later in the drive.

They added a late Antonio Avila rushing touchdown and then returned a punt for a score for good measure, moving to 6-2 (3-0 SSL) on the season with the 49-8 result.

"It's back to the drawing board," Ortega said, "because next week we got Taft, and they can be very physical, and I know they bring a good crowd, so I just gotta make sure these guys stay humble and focused and get ready for next week."

Wasco will look to rebound after dropping to 4-3 (1-2 SSL) with consecutive losses, and hosts Delano on Thursday.

Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.