Defense, run game lift Johansen over Buhach Colony as Thunder’s loss streak grows
Johansen High leaned on its defense and a committee of running backs to secure its first win of the season Friday night, pulling away in the second half for a 27-6 victory over Buhach Colony.
The Vikings (1-1) shook off a scoreless first quarter and a sluggish start on offense. With 1:33 left in the half, senior quarterback Anthony Torres connected with senior tight end Gabriel Ibanez for a 28-yard touchdown to put Johansen ahead 6-0 at halftime.
“It was a good victory,” head coach Rod Smith Sr. said. “We started off a little slow, offense wasn’t clicking, but the defense pitched a shutout. We gave up a touchdown on special teams, but I’m really happy with the defense.”
The turning point came in the third quarter. Ibanez forced a fumble with a hard hit, and junior Jeydan Saing scooped it up and ran it back for a touchdown. Torres added a two-point conversion pass to senior Ben Udoffia, stretching the lead to 14-0.
“We always talk about, hey, in the city, you fall on it. In the country, you scoop and score,” Smith said with a laugh. “And I think [Saing] was in the suburbs. But it was a great play. Gabe came up and just laid a lick on the guy, and Jeydan took it in. That was the turning point.”
From there, the Vikings’ ground game wore down Buhach. Senior Ezekiel Rodriguez rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Udoffia broke free for a 17-yard score on two carries. Junior Andres Castro added 23 yards.
“I feel great,” Udoffia said. “Our team did amazing as well. We got the W, we came out strong, and we finished off strong. Credit to our D-line and O-line — we proved that we can be that team.”
Rodriguez, Saing and Ibanez said the win restored confidence after last week’s loss to Modesto.
“Week 2 going after a loss is better than ever,” Saing said. “A win after a loss is a way to bring the energy back.”
“We’re just trying to ball out and make it a great season at the end of the day,” Ibanez added.
Rodriguez pointed to practice intensity: “We had to fix the things we messed up on. Went through the whole week smacking each other’s faces in. We came back this week to prove that we have what it takes.”
Of the Thunder’s game, Buhach Colony co-head coach Matthew Granado said, “We had some mistakes, kind of killed ourselves a little bit. Hung in there the first half, just kind of self-inflicted wounds. But kids kept fighting until the end. We’re kicking down the door. We’re gonna get through here pretty soon.”
The Atwater school hasn’t won a game in almost three years. Since its 2022 playoffs loss to Vanden, its built a 0-22 record.
Granado said the buy-in is there, with players showing up for 6:55 a.m. weight sessions three times a week. “Kids are bought in,” he said. “They keep showing up every day to work. We’re still heading in the right direction.”
The Thunder take on Enochs next Friday, hoping to end their miserable drought.
Smith said Johansen’s next step is to polish its offense while keeping players healthy heading into league play.
“Quarterback struggled a little bit at the beginning, but then he got his groove,” Smith said. “We’ve got East Union next week. We wanted this one to get back on track before that challenge.”
STAT HIGHLIGHTS
Johansen: Rodriguez 105 rush yards, 1 TD; Udoffia 25 rush yards, 1 TD, 2-pt conversion; Torres 6-for-17, 49 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; Ibanez 3 catches, 37 yards, 1 TD, forced fumble; Saing fumble return TD; Conly 1 INT.
Buhach Colony: O’Brien 75-yd kickoff return TD; Fitzgerald 6-for-11, 49 yards, 1 INT; Peterson 1 catch, 32 yards; Bighom 1 INT.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 7:08 AM.
