No. 3 Rocklin tops Turlock with push from a giant offensive line and fourth-down magic
After Saturday’s 41-0 romp in their home opener against Turlock, the Rocklin linemen were in a playful mood. Their coach cut his postgame speech short and the entire group turned to watch senior Brad Baur get interviewed by a journalist.
Playing along, the writer asked Baur which of the linemen was his favorite. Baur, the straight man of the bunch, said “the whole line.” At that point, his friends groaned and playfully booed his answer.
Just another day at the office for Baur, the Thunder’s 6-foot-6 right tackle. On a line filled guys who might play in college, Baur stands tall as the hulk that prevented Turlock intrusions Saturday afternoon.
“It was really fun,” Baur said. “We haven’t done that in a while. It was good to be with my boys, competing against a different-colored jersey.”
When asked what he does particularly well on the line, Baur defers. He’s not into talking about himself. Fellow senior lineman Bobby Piland, a national recruit himself, has no problem highlighting his buddy’s strengths, which go beyond his large frame.
“He brings a lot of skill. With his size comes technique, and it’s just unmatchable on that right side,” Piland said. “He helps anchor down that right and whether it’s a down block or pass, it just helps our offense out.”
The Thunder line allowed Anthony Johnson to rush for 96 yards on 12 carries and for Kenny Lueth to complete 11 of 16 passes for 196 yards and four touchdowns, one each to Kyran Bell, Nathan Kent, Caleb Larson and Elias Mullican. Lueth and Eli Hardy also rushed for a touchdown.
While Rocklin clearly had the advantage Saturday, it’s worth noting the Thunder didn’t blow Turlock out of the water in the first half. The Bulldogs were without several key players, including their starting quarterback. And the defense made Rocklin work in the first half, with the Thunder converting on fourth-and-16 and fourth-and-7 to keep two scoring drives alive.
Coach James Peterson just shook his head when asked about the sideline pass Lueth completed to Bell on fourth-and-16. What can you do?
“What a great throw. If you can make that throw on that receiver, you’re gonna be in the mix on everything,” Peterson said.
Peterson was quick to credit his middle linebackers with keeping the score reasonable in the first half. Brock Muirbook and David Salazar called the defensive sets and did what they could to stymie the Rocklin run game, forcing the Thunder to convert several big plays.
Obviously, the Turlock offense needs some work. Turlock earned two first downs in the first half, one off a Rocklin penalty. Peterson said he’s eager to look at game tape and get back to work in practice.
“We had a plan to get after them before we lost our quarterback Tuesday. What are you gonna do? We got basic,” he said.
Third-ranked Rocklin was also ready to chew tape as they get ready for a test. The Thunder hit the road Friday to face Capital Christian, a small school that often knocks off regional powers. Standing in their way will be the Rocklin line. It’s a tight-knit group, as evidenced by everybody teasing Baur about his first interview with a journalist. They all want to get in on the joke.
“He’s a little bit quiet, it’s funny because sometimes he’ll pipe up and say something and it’s always a little bit of a surprise,” Poland said. “We’ve been tight-knit for a while, ever since junior ball, so when we get to high school, the chemistry is already going.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2021 at 7:40 AM with the headline "No. 3 Rocklin tops Turlock with push from a giant offensive line and fourth-down magic."