The Douglas junior varsity football team wrapped up a 7-0 season last week with a 13-7 win at Carson.
Douglas was without three key starters, Johnny Pollack, Ryan Moglich and Luis Pina, who were all called up to the varsity squad, and the offensive line was without Garrett Tenney due to an injury.
Even so, the line of Chris Cargill, Walker Higgins, Stan Running Wolf, Jacob Phillips, David Present, Danny Bloom and John Patchel opened the way for Jordan Cruz, who had 24 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Fullback Cody Spates opened up a lot of holes for Cruz and also had 24 yards rushing, while Running Wolf had another 30 on the ground.
Lucas Peterson threw for 65 yards.
The defense set up the game's first touchdown as Nicoli Vasquez had an interception that he returned to the 1-yard line.
Carson was driving for the winning touchdown with one minute left and got to the Tiger 35 before Douglas shut the Senators down on third and fourth down to seal the win.
Douglas rumbled to a 62-7 blowout over Carson, leading 48-7 at halftime.
Ryen Ake carried the ball 11 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns. He scored the first touchdown for Douglas early on and then broke a 94-yarder on Douglas' next drive for the 14-0 lead.
Austin Neddenreip connected with Matt Metz for a 51-yard touchdown pass.
Carson broke one big play for its only touchdown of the day.
Douglas finished the season 9-0 having outscored its opponents 367-42 with an average of more than 40 points scored per game.
The offensive line of Zach Tierney, August Greth, Riley Griffith, Jake Fowler, Patrick Miller, Zach Falanga, Daniel Lundergreen, Shane Connolly and Spencer Fellows got better every week.
Coaches credited the team defense for carrying the season.
Among the leaders on defense were Colton Hughes, Kameron VanWinkle, Scott Rudnick, Ruben Trujillo, Cameron Jorgenson, Zack Williams, Tanner Egan, Theo Denson, Asher Moody, Metz, Ake, Falanga, Connolly and Greth.
The Douglas girls' junior varsity soccer team ended its season with an 8-1 victory at North Valleys and a 2-0 home loss to the South Lake Tahoe Vikings.
The Vikings presented a real challenge, but the Tigers held their own except for a brief period at the end of the first half when two goals were surrendered on a crossing pass and a corner kick. Highlights included an incredible save by Tiger goalie Aleassa Anzelone.
The Tigers pressured Tahoe in the second half and controlled the ball, resulting in several shots on goal. Briana Rutherdale sent a header to the net, only to have it deflected at the last moment. The defense remained tough with stopper Allie Bowen leading the way. The Tiger defense held Tahoe scoreless in the final 40 minutes, but the team's shots failed to reach the back of the net.
Coach Amanda Mikulich felt that the team grew competitively throughout the season. The older players took powerful leadership roles, as the younger players stepped up and brought forward an eagerness to learn. They overcame obstacles to strengthen their friendship and in doing so, came together as a team. The Tigers finished the season with an overall record of 12-4-1. Amanda Ferraro was the leading scorer with 21 season goals. Douglas garnered ten shutouts with its stellar defense and Anzelone in the goal.
