Concord 42, Clayton Valley 0
The Star: It looked as if running back Joe Protheroe was gearing up for a big night, as he quickly piled up 32 yards on his first five runs. However, Concord’s defense would only net him five more yards, and Minutemen tailback Olito Thompson would steal the show, rumbling his way to 235 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
The Turning Point: Two minutes before halftime, sophomore quarterback Michael Protheroe—inserted in rotation with Mateo Gomez—threw a deep ball off his back foot that was picked off by Concord’s Daniel Golden. Two plays later, the Minutemen were ahead 14-0.
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The Quote: "We had a great week of practice, but we just made too many mistakes tonight." — Clayton Valley coach Herc Pardi.
What's Next? Clayton visits Northgate in search of their first league win, Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.
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Bottom Line: The Eagles couldn’t dig themselves out from beneath their mistakes in the first half and Olito Thompson and the Minutemen literally ran away with the game.
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Concord High was gracious enough to bring the ClayCord Cup to their clash at Clayton Valley Friday night, despite having dominated the previous two matchups.
As it turns out, the Minutemen could have saved themselves the trouble, as they blanked the Eagles 42-0
The Uglies offense did not look pretty from the outset, as they managed a meager 79 total yards from scrimmage, which included a paltry six yards in the second half.
Despite trying both Mateo Gomez and Michael Protheroe under center, they were not able to mount a consistent aerial attack, as Concord's defensive backs consistently broke up throws downfield.
The stalled passing game only spelled trouble for tailback Joe Prothroe, as Concord began to load up to stop the run. The Minutemen hit the junior running back early and often, holding him to 37 yards, 32 of which came on his first five attempts in the first half.
When the Eagles did muster some offensive momentum, the drive was doomed by some calamity, such as a penalty or turnover. The penalties were especially troublesome since they forced the offense into third-and-long situations, exacerbated by the fact neither quarterback could make throws consistently.
The game took an ominous turn for the hosts shortly before halftime, when Clayton Valley took over at their own 19 after forcing a punt. On the very first play from scrimmage, Michael Protheroe heaved a deep pass off his back foot, which was summarily picked off and returned all the way to the Eagles four yard line.
Two plays later, Concord tailback Olito Thompson would punch the ball in, and the Minutemen would tack on the two-point conversion to go up 14-0.
“The game really swung with that pick just before halftime,” explained Clayton Valley coach Herc Pardi.
The Uglies would have one last opportunity to get on the board before the break, as they rode a couple of first downs into Minutemen territory. The team’s ever-dependable kicker, Eddie Juarez, lined up for a 45-yard attempt, which was tipped at the line and landed well short of the goalpost.
The home team—whose supporters turned out en masse—did not fare much better defensively, as Thompson gashed them for 235 yards and five scores.
The Eagles will look to rebound on the road next week, as they travel down the road to Northgate High.
“We’ve got to be more physical next week,” Pardi announced. “We’ve got to tackle and block much better.”
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Concord 42, Clayton Valley 0
Concord 0 14 14 14— 42
Clayton Valley 0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring summary
8:22, 2nd: C — O. Thompson 1 run (PAT no good)
2:14, 2nd: C— O. Thompson 1 run (Morrow 3 pass to Young)
6:46, 3rd: C — O. Thompson 6 run (PAT no good)
4:57, 3rd: C — W. Thompson 30 fumble return (Morrow 3 pass to Bates)
8:36, 4th : C— O. Thompson 5 run (O. Thompson 3 run)
3:53, 4th: C — O. Thompson 47 run (PAT no good)
Records: Concord 5-2, 2-0 DVAL. CV 4-2, 0-2 DVAL.
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