Napa outraces Beyer in wild offensive show

OK, football fans, let's start the weekend off with a riddle.

What do you get when you cross a picture of Ol' Blue Eyes and the St. Louis Arch with Beyer High quarterback McKay Marshall?

Big freakin' plays.

Using a unique play-calling system made famous by the card-waving Oregon Ducks coaching staff, the free-wheeling Patriots kept the scoreboard lights flickering at Chuck Hughes Stadium on Friday evening.

Marshall accounted for more than 440 yards of total offense and Jacob Bringhurst had five touchdown receptions as head coach Richie Alkire pulled all the right cards early, staggering a perennial Sac-Joaquin Section power.

Just one problem — Napa was just as potent, and it didn't need Pictionary to escape this wild nonconference shootout smiling.

Zach Scheinholz rushed for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns, answering every Beyer charge in a wild, 63-56 victory.

The Indians' ground game was relentless. Fullback David Hunt topped 100 yards and scored three touchdowns, burrowing his way through the trenches; the perfect compliment to Scheinholz' skittish style.

The loss drops Beyer from the ranks of the unbeaten, but the Patriots earned a measure of respect, going toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow with a former section champion.

Beyer surged out to a 27-13 lead in the second quarter, whipping the home crowd into a red frenzy with one big play after another.

Running back Maury Moore (seven carries, 146 yards) had two long scoring runs in the first half — 45 and 62 yards — to give Beyer that cushion.

It was fleeting, though.

Napa scored 15 unanswered points in the final 7 minutes of the first half, sprinting into the break after Rudy Herrera's 40-yard field goal at the buzzer gave it its first lead, 28-27.

Alas, no lead was safe in this nonconference tilt.

Marshall and Bringhurst proved almost unstoppable in Alkire's fun, pictured-based offense.

The two combined for five touchdowns, including two in the final 3 minutes, 10 seconds to set up a frantic finish.

Marshall, Beyer's curly haired, left-handed wizard, connected with his top target on scoring passes of 20 and 16 yards, the last coming with 1:05 left.

Battling cramps throughout the fourth quarter, Bringhurst finished with eight catches for 195 yards.

McKay was 20 of 29 for 447 yards and offset to first-half interceptions with six touchdown passes. He had at least another 45 yards on the ground.

Beyer had its chance in the fourth quarter, but couldn't summon a rare defensive stop when it needed it most.

Bludgeoned and embarrassed all evening, Beyer's defense appeared to have finally figured out Napa's ground attack. Trailing 49-42, the Patriots forced a third-and-10 at its 29-yard line, forcing Napa into a passing situation.

To that point, Napa quarterback Dominic Good had completed just one pass. But he was on target with completion No. 2, finding Donato D'Adamo wide open in the seam to make it 56-42.

Marshall answered minutes later with a 20-yard strike to Bringhurst to make it 56-49.

Scheinholz stretched the lead back to 14 with a 55-yard scamper on the ensuing possession, widening the gap to 63-49 with 2:31 left.

Marshall kept fans on the edge of their seat with a final touchdown pass, pulling Beyer within one score, but a win ... a win just wasn't in the cards.