Gustine makes statement with win over Le Grand

The Gustine High football team expected to be in the Southern League title race this season. The Redskins showed why on Friday night with a 27-0 win over six-time SL champion Le Grand.

Brandon Labry led the way with a monster game, rushing for 273 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries for the Redskins (4-0), who beat Le Grand for the first time since 2003.

“This was a big win for us,” Labry said. “My offensive line blocked great tonight. I couldn’t have done it without them. I think this win will get us a lot more respect from other teams. I still feel like teams underestimate us even though we’ve upgraded and have gotten better.”

The Redskins dominated in every phase of the game as the defense recorded its second shutout in three weeks.

Gustine jumped out to a 21-0 lead by halftime as running back Robert Zaragoza scored on a 5-yard run in the first quarter. Quarterback Sebastian Figueroa added a 1-yard sneak and Labry scored on a 52-yard run in the second quarter.

Labry then put the game away with a 4-yard run in the third quarter.

“Brandon was insane tonight,” Gustine coach Russell McWilliams said. “I just watched a highlight of one of his runs. It was insane what he did. Our defense was great tonight. They swarmed all over the place, like bees on honey.”

The bright spot for Le Grand (0-4, 0-1 SL) was running back Carlos Iniguez, who rushed for 120 yards on 19 carries.

Gustine was fired up for Friday’s matchup against Le Grand, which has dominated the SL for so long.

“We had this game circled for a long time,” McWilliams said. “My first three years as head coach I think we’ve been outscore like 150 to 0. It’s been 12 years since we beat Le Grand. I was 19 years old the last time we beat them. This was a big step for us.

“This group, history is at the door for them. They’re playing in the now and playing for their goals, trying to put Gustine on the map.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 12:09 AM with the headline "Gustine makes statement with win over Le Grand."