Bertalotto’s all-around effort propels Turlock past Sheldon in D-I first-round matchup
Jeremiah Bertalotto has had his fingerprints all over Turlock’s offense all season.
The quiet senior two-way star leads the Bulldogs in receiving yards, is one of four players with over 170 rushing yards, is one of the team leaders in tackles and was the team’s primary kickoff and punt returner for the first 10 games of the season.
“He’s an explosive player,” said Turlock coach James Peterson. “We just love the way he plays football. On both sides of the ball, nobody was willing to yield to the other side. Even the special teams (coach) wanted to use him.”
Friday night in the Bulldogs’ first-round playoff game was no different.
Bertalotto made the most of his 20 touches, producing 188 yards of total offense and a pair of rushing touchdowns in No. 6 Turlock’s 57-14 win over No. 11 Sheldon in the first round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Football Championships.
“I have a strong mentality,” Bertalotto said. “I just don’t give up. A lot of that comes from wrestling.”
Bertalotto is a star on the Bulldogs’ wrestling team and qualified for last year’s state tournament as a junior. Though he stands 5-foot-9, he takes tosses and screen passes into open holes carved out by his offensive line, going through, around and over would-be tacklers in an effort to gain extra yards.
“He’s our leader,” said Peterson. “He’s quiet but, man, he’s fearless and he plays tough and he plays big.
“He’s really shined. He’s been that extra special guy for us. Everybody loves him.”
The Bulldogs picked up their sixth straight win in dominant fashion.
The defense opened the scoring with a safety, then the offense took over, outscoring Sheldon 28-14 in the rest of the first half. The second half, the Bulldogs held the visitors scoreless while the offense continued to roll.
Vincent Gonzales threw all three of his passing touchdowns in the final two quarters, connecting with Carter Crivelli for 45 yards, Jr. Silva for 47 yards and Brayden Green for a nine-yard score. Even Logan Durkee got in on the scoring action from the defensive line. The senior defensive end picked up a fumble at midfield and took the ball 50 yards for a scoop-and-score to help Turlock extend its lead to 50-14 in the final quarter.
“It’s a statement,” said Peterson. “Hey, we’re a good football team. We’ve settled in and we’re playing a lot better than we did in the beginning of the year. Guys are playing more sound every week. We managed to stay healthy and that combined with our physicality as a defense has really helped us.”
End of the road for Sheldon
Sheldon’s campaign ended after securing five wins for the third straight season. The Huskies, who include a handful of returners from last season’s 8-4 team that reached the section quarterfinals, found success this season despite shuffling pieces all year.
Friday night, the Huskies tried flexing their muscles, going to running back Zayden Learson early and often. Turlock keyed in on the senior back who entered the contest with 405 yards and a team-high five rushing touchdowns in just four games.
Two of Learson’s first three carries in the game went for negative yards. On his third touch, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety. He finished the game with 38 yards, a touchdown and a fumble on 16 carries.
“From the first time I saw him on film, I said that he was the star,” Peterson said. “That was the key topic we talked about all week long, he was the guy this week.”
The Huskies scored all of their points in the first half. Learson’s touchdown in the first quarter cut Turlock’s advantage to 9-6, but Turlock answered with two touchdowns of its own. A 43-yard connection from Malakai Savage to Brandon Acker in the second quarter capped the scoring. It was part of a career night for the senior who caught three passes for 112 yards and a score.
“They have played a lot of guys throughout the year, but their scheme was the same,” Peterson said. “They like the wildcat formation and to run their quarterback. We knew that combination along with the play action would be tough for us. It caused some confusion a couple of times, we gave up a big touchdown when we made mistakes in the (defensive) backfield.”
Turlock hits the road
For the second season in a row, Turlock hits the road for the quarterfinals.
Last season, the Bulldogs traveled to St. Mary’s and upset the Rams in a 51-50 barnburner. This season, they look to take down Division-I No. 3 seed Oak Ridge. The Trojans feature a balanced offensive attack led by quarterback Joaquin Graves-Mercado (2,028 yards, 16 TDs), a pair of talented running backs in Jasen Womack (789 yards, 6 TDs) and Erick Orme Jr. (765 yards, 15 TDs) and a national recruit at DE/TE in Kaleb Edwards.
The Bulldogs are looking to avenge last season’s playoff loss to Oak Ridge. After upsetting St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals, Turlock fell to the Trojans, 24-0 in the semifinals.
“Maybe we can go up there and shock those guys,” Peterson said. “They might be looking over us because they’ve played us in the past and handled us well. Hopefully our guys step up.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2023 at 9:27 AM.
