The Douglas Tiger Pee Wee football team prevailed 12-6 over the previously undefeated Reno Patriots in a hard fought thriller on Friday night at Stodick Park.
After a scoreless first quarter, safety Cole Melhuse intercepted a Patriot pass and made a 45-yard run back.
Later in the second quarter, Melhuse recovered a fumble, caused by Dalton Grisell, and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
The first half ended with the Tigers up 6-0.
With the score knotted at 6-6, midway through the fourth quarter, Tiger tailback Sullivan Cauley exploded for a 57-yard touchdown romp to put the Tigers ahead 12-6. On the following Patriot possession, Cauley recovered a Patriot fumble to seal the victory, with the Tigers running out the clock.
The strong side of the Douglas line, featuring center Ryan Philips and linemen Ben Cochran, Ian Pieler and Connor Miller knocked the opponents off the line to create the hole that sprung Cauley on the game-winner.
The defensive line was led by the stalwart play of Seth Trivitt and the tenaciousness of defensive ends Taylor Souza and Grilsell, with help from Brennan Neillon, Wyatt Eichhorst, Cody Tindel, Andrew Bigam and Kyle Adams.
The Tiger linebacking corps, Tyler Seamons, Cauley, Joey Petrali and Matt Jones, made a host of aggressive hits and sure tackles on the night, with the assistance of defensive backs Melhuse, Cody Hayes and Austin Ball.
The Tigers are now the number one seed entering the playoffs tonight versus the Carson Senators, hosting that game at 6 p.m. at Stodick Park.
The Douglas Tiger Pop Warner Midget football team started last week's game with two key players (Mike Darby and Caymen Hoshizaki) on the sideline due to injury.
By the game's end the Midgets had not only lost the game, but the services of 3 more players. All three are two-way starters and their loss during the game had a definite impact on the final income, a 30-14 loss to the Reno Patriots.
The game began with a strong defensive showing by the Tigers. An interception deep in Patriot territory by Steve Campbell led to a 20-yard touchdown run by John Ortega. Twenty seconds later the game was tied as the Patriots ran the kick-off back for a touchdown.
Things settled down for a while, but early in the second quarter, after keeping the Patriots tailback under control most of the half, the Tigers let him loose for a 70-yard touchdown run and the fell behind 16-8. The Tigers came back, though and completed a nice drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Justin Tenney to Ortega. The extra point was missed and the Tigers went into halftime behind 16-14.
The second half started with Ortega on the sidelines with an injury. A bit later , linebacker/fullback Corey Dillon was injured making a tackle and could not return for the remainder of the game.
Shortly after his departure, the Patriots scored a third touchdown, yet a missed extra point still left the Tigers only down by eight. The Tigers managed to push the ball into Patriot territory several times, but could not get to the end zone. Early in the fourth quarter the Patriots scored again.
On the ensuing kickoff, Campbell, who had been filling in for the injured Ortega at running back, was hurt and was out for the game. Though they certainly did not give up, the Tigers were unable to put any sustained drives together the remainder of the game.
The offense was led by linemen Derek Gilmore, Austin Park, Kevin Capone, Colton Whitaker, Tim Owens, and ends Adrian Duenas-Quinonez and Sam Amador. WilE Derbyshire and Jordan Kynett played very well on the defensive line, aided by Shaun Castillo, Pierce Dykes, Zack Schultz, and Ray Bedow. Tyler Radke and Conner Love anchored the secondary with Alan Bolanos who saw action at both corner and linebacker because of the injuries.
Ryan Simons played both fullback and linebacker the entire game in spite of incurring a hand injury that pretty much reduced him to a one useful arm.
Coach Mike Dillon said if his team could just eliminate the two or three big plays it seems to give up each week, they could play with anyone. The Midgets open the playoffs tonight at Stodick Park at 8:00 p.m. against the Sparks Cardinals.
