‘Where we wanted to be’: Turlock alone atop CCAL with key win over Downey
Turlock set the tone for the game on its first possession and never wavered.
After stopping Downey on fourth down on the game’s opening drive, the Bulldogs ran nine consecutive rushing plays for 48 yards and a touchdown. Turlock’s offense established its physicality, pushing back Downey’s defensive line, and kept the Knights’ high powered offense off the field on its way to seven points.
“The goal was to keep that offense on the sideline because I didn’t want to have to go all those defensive reps tonight,” Turlock head coach James Peterson said. “I thought the offense did a great job beginning the game like that, keeping the ball and it ended in points.
The rest of the game between the two tops teams in the CCAL, matching each other with perfect league records entering the game, mirrored that first drive. Turlock’s offense scored three rushing touchdowns and rushed for over 300 yards en route to a dominant 33-14 win.
The win is Turlock’s fourth straight and keeps it perfect in league play. The defending league champion Bulldogs take sole possession of the CCAL’s No. 1 seed and hands Downey its first loss this season. The Knights entered the game with seven wins and no losses, going unbeaten through its toughest non-league schedule in recent memory and winning its first two league games. Both teams met the four win playoff threshold before Friday’s meeting.
Downey wasn’t itself
When Jeremy Plaa asked the Knights postgame if they played Downey football, all they could answer with was “no.”
Despite recovering three fumbles and winning the turnover battle 3-1, the Knights turned just one one of those into points. They suffered from uncharacteristic drops and unsportsmanlike penalties that cost them valuable yards, setting Turlock up with good field position.
“We had chances to move the ball and do some things when our defense forced some turnovers,” Plaa said. “And the bottom line is just their defense was better than our offense tonight.”
The Knights snatched momentum in the second quarter after falling behind 21-0. They forced their first fumble of the game with the Bulldogs backed up in their own territory. After recovering the ball on the Turlock seven-yard line, the Knights converted on a Carson Lamb shovel pass to Elias Hayes for their first touchdown.
On their next drive, Lamb connected downfield with Joseph Ramirez for a 42-yard score, cutting it to a 21-14 game heading into halftime.
“Momentum is a big thing. We had it for a short amount of time in the second quarter but just couldn’t seize it in the second half,” Plaa said. “Turlock had a lot to do with that.”
While they lost an emotional game, their season is not over. The Knights face Enochs and Gregori before what they hope will be a deep playoff run. How do they respond?
“Good question,” Plaa said. “We’ve got to restart on Monday because we’ve still got two games and we’ve got to gear up for playoff season. We’ve had a great season, this loss was a minus, but hopefully it makes us better.”
Turlock felt the game’s importance
Turlock knew the game was important. Not only for the league standings but also for team morale.
After playing the Stanislaus District’s toughest non-league schedule, taking on teams that have all been ranked among the top 25 in California, the Bulldogs had two wins entering CCAL play. They have now won three straight games.
“It’s exactly where we wanted to be,” Peterson said. “We would have liked to have one more game in the preseason. We got two in the preseason and that took a toll on us because we thought we were the team. We needed to come out here and establish ourselves tonight.”
Turlock’s quarterback-running back duo led the way behind the hard-hitting offensive line.
Scout Silva continued his impressive freshman campaign, completing 12 of 17 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 102 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
Silva finished off the Bulldogs’ first two scoring drives with rushing touchdowns, scoring on a one-yard sneak on their first possession and flashing his speed with a 44-yard scramble on the team’s next drive. He also scored the last rushing touchdown on a one-yard run up the middle with four seconds left in the game.
“(The first drive) did set the tone,” Silva said. “Watching film, we knew that our O-line was by far better than their D-line and we came out and we showed that. We ran the ball well tonight.”
Silva also threw for two touchdowns, connecting with Joseph Delte in the first half for 11 yards and scrambled out of the pocket, finding Jr. Silva downfield for a 43-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Though he did not score Friday, Stine was the focal point for the Turlock offense. He rushed for 79 yards on 18 carries and caught five passes for 31 yards.
“He performed at a high level and I was impressed with him,” Peterson said of Stine. “He performed at a high level and I thought he kept his composure. At times it got a little chippy and he kept his composure. It made me proud in that sense.”
The Bulldogs opened up a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and withstood a pair of Downey touchdowns to go ahead 21-14 at halftime. The Turlock defense pitched a shutout in the second half. It came away with an interception, forced a punt and earned two fourth down stops, giving the ball back to the offense. The offense scored twice in the half to put the game away.
“I though the guys came back and battled hard,” Peterson said of Turlock’s response to Downey’s two touchdowns. “(Downey) has a great coaching staff and great players. They have star players all over the field.
“We put in a lot of work this week with the defense and everybody just really locked in.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2024 at 8:43 AM.
