MODESTO -- Any fear that Enochs High might be distracted Thursday night — perhaps looking forward to its battle against 6-1 Downey in two weeks — was settled in the first quarter.
The Eagles, rebounding strongly from a 1-3 start, exploded for 28 first-quarter points on the way to a 56-26 win over Gregori at Johansen High.
The victory leaves the Eagles (4-3, 3-0) and Downey (6-1, 3-0) as the only teams without a loss in the Modesto Metro Conference. No other school has more than one conference win.
"We've got four more regular-season games and we hope playoffs after that," Enochs coach James Stacy, aware the MMC receives two automatic playoff berths, "We've got our offense installed and now we're working on what we do best, rather than adding new plays each week.
The Eagles opened the game with the same intensity they showed the first week of the season, when they fell 35-31 to still-unbeaten Pitman. They also fell to Buhach Colony and Merced — all three foes are in The Bee's Stanislaus District rankings.
So are the Eagles, ranked No. 7.
This was their third win in a row, and the sixth time in six games the Eagles scored at least 31 points.
Efrem Grimes got the Eagles started with his 32-yard TD run on their first series. Sam Herring's kick, the first of five he converted in the first half, pushed Enochs' lead to 7-0.
By the time the quarter ended, it was 28-0. It was 35-0 moments later.
Shawn Munoz, whose 8-yard TD run pushed the lead to 14-0, flicked a 29-yard screen pass to James Lee for a TD and then Gabriel-Lindsey Turner broke free at the line and juked a few defenders on his way to a 35-yard TD run late in the quarter.
Munoz found Lee for a 10-yard TD pass to open the second period, a play that emphasized the offensive versatility Enochs has displayed this fall.
With four fleet runners on the field, but spread across different positions, Gregori had no choice but to play the run. That left Lee in single coverage on the outside, and he created plenty of separation for Munoz to toss the ball without fear,
"Lee has become our running back who catches passes, because he's quick out there. He's difficult to catch," said Stacy, noting all four of the Eagles' back reached the end zone. "Because we spread the ball between four backs, and don't forget our quarterback (Shawn Munoz), the defense is never sure just who is going to be running with it.
"That's difficult, seeing four guys on our side of the line and knowing they're all capable of taking it to the end zone. A defense will have to guess."
Gregori rallied late in the half for two TDs, but after Munoz's 61-yard TD run early in the third quarter, the Jaguars had no choice but to throw.
Enochs' ball-hawking secondary exploited that necessity, as Nikko Delgado and Trey Steadman intercepted balls. Delgado's pick led to a 2-yard TD by Lindsey-Turner, then Munoz scored on a 30-yard keeper after Steadman's diving pick.
By the time third quarter had ended, the Eagles led 56-13 — surpassing this fall's previous single-game high of 52 points, set in their MMC opener.
"Our offensive coordinator (Chad Nessen) is with the offensive line every practice, and I think that's something you can see when these guys are on the field," said Stacy, whose Eagles are No. 3 in the Sac-Joaquin Section with 339 rushing yards a game. "We're doing a good job pulling, so we can get out there and open holes for our backs."
Each of the Eagles' back have a role, Stacy said.
Grimes attacks the outside with power, while Lindsey-Turner handles many of the power runs up the middle. Enochs likes to spring the agile Alvarez outside the tackle, and that leaves Lee to catch passes and occasionally carry the ball.
Gregori (1-6, 1-2) tried to mount a ground game behind Alex Labanon — his 7-yard TD run late in the first half got the Jaguars on the board — but Enochs' halftime adjustments neutralized him.
The game will be replayed on KAZV-TV (Comcast ch. 195, ch. 14 via antenna) Monday at 8 a.m., Wednesday at 5 p.m. and Saturday (Oct. 13) at 7 p.m.
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