Merced jumps on Gregori early, coasts to first victory of the season
The Gregori High football team learned a tough lesson on Friday night — do not come out flat against a quality opponent like the Merced Bears.
Merced was fast, physical and a little angry after losing its season opener against Central Catholic, and the Jaguars were no match for the Bears in the first quarter.
Merced scored the first 26 points of its 33-14 nonleague win over Gregori at Don Lanphear Field. It wasn’t until late in the second quarter that Gregori seemed to wake up and be able to match the speed and intensity of Merced.
It didn’t help that Gregori (0-2) was short-handed on the offensive line and starting a new center against the powerful defensive front of Merced (1-1).
“It hurts, you know,” Gregori coach Lamar Wallace said. “We’ve got some guys injured, we had a couple out with COVID ... all on the offensive line.
“We just didn’t play well, we couldn’t get anything going. ... We got to get better, we have to clean it up.
The Jaguars appeared outmanned and overmatched early in the game.
Merced features a fly-to-the ball defense and an offense that has rare talent at the skill positions, with junior running back Chase Smith and senior wide receiver Enoch Evans showing off big-play ability all night.
Smith scored first, returning a punt 36 yards for a touchdown, then Evans scooped up a fumbled punt snap and ran the ball in from five yards out for a second score.
Smith scored again later in the first quarter, this time on a 42-yard TD run to make it 20-0, then the two combined for the play of the night in the second quarter.
Smith took a handoff from quarterback Carter Haugen, ran left and lofted a beautiful pass to a streaking Evans for a 40-yard touchdown. The halfback pass made it 26-0.
“(The loss) last week was against a very good football team,” Merced head coach Rob Scheidt said. “I think it helped prepare us for tonight. The speed difference was obvious, the physicality was different, so that helped us.
“Obviously, we don’t want to lose games, but when you’re playing a tough opponent and it’s physical you learn a lot about yourself, even in a loss.”
Gregori came into Friday’s game coming off a loss against another Central California Conference opponent, falling 19-0 to Buhach Colony.
After an awful start against Merced, Gregori showed it was at least capable of making a game of it.
Junior quarterback Conner Bailey came off the bench and connected with Ayden Powers for a pretty 63-yard touchdown pass to give the Jaguars their first points of the season.
Michael Marsden’s 83-yard TD run in the final minute gave Gregori another encouraging offensive highlight.
For the most part, however, Merced had the game in hand after the first quarter.
The Bears appear determined to get back to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs and back to the section title game. Merced lost to Vanden in the Division 4 championship, 49-21.
“I think this team can be great,” said Jalonn Booth, the star of the Bears’ dynamic defensive line that dominated Gregori up front. “We have an opportunity to go to the section championship again, and I think we’re striving for greatest. Today is a big stepping stone to get to that championship.”
The Bears now turn their attention to their third Modesto opponent of the season.
Merced will host 2-0 Downey — and its star quarterback, Conner Stoddard — next Friday night.
Gregori will host Atwater (1-1) next Friday.
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 11:44 PM.
