Coach Peterson: ‘We played old-school Turlock High football’ to seal first victory
James Peterson said his team got back to basics in securing its first victory of the 2021 season.
“We played old-school Turlock High football,” the Bulldogs coach said. “We did the things we need to win football games. We didn’t turn the ball over and we kept penalties to a minimum.”
Turlock also played great defense and dominated the second half on offense en route to a 23-10 victory over Clovis West on Friday at Joe Debely Stadium.
The win, which came without their starting quarterback and linebacker, gave the Bulldogs a much-needed lift heading into a bye week before they open Central California Athletic League play against Pitman in the Harvest Bowl on Oct. 1.
After starting the season with four straight losses, and down 10-3 at halftime against a Golden Eagles team (3-2) ranked 12th in the Central Section, Turlock went to work.
Behind backup quarterback Pete Mello, subbing for Cole Gilbert (knee), and running back JT Foreman, along with a defense facing a Clovis West team averaging over 30 points in its last three games, Turlock played near-perfect football.
The Bulldogs took the second-half kickoff and marched down the field, tying the game at 10 on a Foreman 2-yard touchdown run. Three minutes later, Turlock took the lead on Morgan Perrien’s 3-yard scoring run.
In the fourth quarter, Mello hit Logan Hart on a 25-yard scoring play with 2 minutes, 12 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
“Pete Mello put the world on his shoulders and did an awesome job,” Peterson said. “He did a good job managing the game. ...
“And our offensive line did a great job of communicating. They made some key blocks for JT when we needed to make a first down.”
Foreman finished with 176 yards rushing on 36 carries.
Peterson said his banged-up team was looking for a little rest and recovery during the bye week.
He said Gilbert will be back against Pitman along possibly with starting senior linebacker Ashton Baucom, who suffered a foot injury in a Week 1 game against Rocklin.
What did Peterson learn about his “battle-tested” team during the non-league season?
“That they can improve,” he said. “Every week we’ve improved.”
This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 11:51 PM.
