The last time Beyer High opened its football season at 2-0, the Patriots went on to win the Modesto Metro Conference and made the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
That was in 2006, and the years between haven't been kind to the Patriots — just 11 wins in the four seasons.
"We put a lot of extra time in after practice working on conditioning," center Grant Hayes said. "We're not making some of the mistakes we did last year. I know that our line is stronger than it was last year."
With Hayes anchoring the middle, and emerging tackles Jose Garcia and Dustin Lohrmann clearing paths, this one was never in doubt.
The sixth-ranked Patriots scored 31 points in the first quarter on the way to a 52-0 rout of Pacheco — a school playing without seniors.
It was quite a contrast to a week ago, when Beyer rallied from a 20-point deficit and won on Zachary Bradley's last-second field goal.
"Again, our conditioning allows us to be a comeback team if we get in that position," said Hayes, after helping Beyer gain 250 rushing yards on 30 carries. "Jose and Dustin have come in to take care of those tackle positions. With the quickness we have at running back, it allows us to do a lot more with our running game."
Tailback Aden Ruiz ran for 110 yards on 10 carries.
Beyer quarterback McKay Marshall (4 of 6, 84 yards, two TD passes) led the Patriots to four TDs and a field goal on their first five possessions.
Nick Beavers brought back an interception 33 yards in the first quarter, providing Beyer's fifth first-half TD. Pacheco was trying to set up a bubble screen, with the receiver coming toward the quarterback. That allowed Beavers to cheat to the middle, as well, because there was no other receiver on his side. When Cruz Zamora's pass sailed, Beavers snared it and was unopposed as he dashed to the end zone for a 31-0 first-quarter lead.
"With no other receiver, I didn't have to worry about someone getting behind me on the sideline," said Beavers, who had six interceptions as a junior. "I saw the ball was coming in high, so I adjusted to make the catch."
Beavers plucked another interception to open the second half, and Marshall hit Jacob Bringhurst from 25 yards out for another TD.
Pacheco was in a hole before its season opened, with a roster of sophomores and juniors. It got worse against Beyer, as quarterback Paul Parks sat this one out after he had missed a practice.
"It's unfortunate, but you need to stick with the rules so the kids know they're the same for everyone," Pacheco coach David Snapp said.
Beyer's schedule is light on the front end, so the 2-0 start might be misleading. The Division 1 Patriots beat Division 4 Hilmar 30-27 in Week 1 — Beyer has 2,060 kids; Hilmar has 677 — and this is Pacheco's first varsity squad.
The competition takes a big step up next week when Napa (1-0) comes to town. It will be one of the few opportunities Beyer has to gauge its improvement during the first half of the season. After Napa (10-2 last year and a contender this year in the Monticello Empire League), Beyer's next four foes won a total of four games in 2010.
"That's where our discipline comes in, going hard no matter who we're playing," Hayes said.
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