Enochs cruises past Beyer in season opener to keep Sylvan Bowl trophy
The Enochs High football team needed only one quarter to make a statement Friday night.
The Eagles scored five first-quarter touchdowns en route to an impressive 56-0 victory over Sylvan Bowl rival Beyer at Dan Gonsalves Field at Johansen High.
Senior quarterback Keith Orona tossed three touchdown passes in the first quarter, senior running back Isaac Adams ran for two scores and Isaiah Toma returned a punt 66 yards for a TD in Enochs’ dominating win.
It was the first victory as head coach for Tracey Traub, who took over when James Stacey stepped down after the spring.
“As a new head coach to get the first one is a great one,” said Traub, who lauded his team’s effort. “Very clean, not a lot of mistakes. Really executed the things we want to execute, the things we’ve been working on. I’m just really proud of them.”
It was the kind of performance that shows the Eagles may be ready to vie for a Central California Athletic League title.
Enochs is a senior-laden team with an explosive offense and hard-hitting defense, and appears ready to compete with perennial favorites Turlock and Downey in the tough CCAL.
“You know, we’re a group of hard workers,” said Orona, an imposing QB at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. “The talent’s definitely there, but if it wasn’t for our work ethic, our teamwork, our chemistry, we wouldn’t be where we are.
“I definitely believe that we are a team that has what it takes to win league.”
While Traub celebrated his first victory as head coach for Enochs, Beyer first-year head coach Mike Young took comfort that his young, inexperienced team responded after a disastrous first quarter.
Young — who was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach in July after the sudden departure of Greg Bockman — was happy with the way his team responded after going down 35-0.
“Shock and awe,” is the way Young he described the first quarter.
“That first quarter was a little rough; young kids not expecting what they got,” Young said. “But they started improving, every quarter got a little better so that was good. A lot of things we can coach up now.”
After several players left the team after Bockman’s departure, Beyer features several inexperienced players, including freshmen and sophomores moving up from the junior varsity.
The Patriots had most of their success with their interior run game. Sophomore quarterback Nathan Dip ran the Beyer offense sufficiently, and junior running backs Marrick Pandey and Andre Towe, a walk-on who didn’t play as a sophomore, showed more than a few flashes of ability.
Taking over a job just a few weeks ago has been “kind of a whirlwind” for Young. But he’s optimistic for the rest of the season. The Patriots won the Western Athletic Conference in 2019.
“Hopefully every week we get a little better ... we’re hoping by the time we get to the WAC we’ll have some things worked out,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Beyer will play Modesto next Friday night. Enochs will travel to Tracy to play West High.
