No. 1 Sonora happy to be home after month on the road

Coach Bryan Craig won’t take anything away from Argonaut High School or the hospitality shown to his Sonora football team by Hilmar when the Butte fire forced the teams to move their game.

All in all, the road has been kind to the Wildcats, who have won four consecutive games to return to the top of The Modesto Bee’s small-school poll after losing 41-15 at Oakdale in their opener.

But between the long bus rides, the visitor’s locker rooms and a nail-biting overtime finish at Argonaut last week, these travel-weary Wildcats are happy to be home after spending the first month away from Dunlavy Field.

Sonora (4-1, 1-0 Mother Lode League) will make its home debut Friday against small-school No. 9 Calaveras (3-2, 1-0) in a battle of the top title contenders in the MLL.

“Traveling five times … it does wear on your mind and body,” junior captain Bradley Canepa said. “We got over it and finally get a home game, but it’s always a long bus ride when you go on the road – hour, hour and a half, maybe even more. Traveling on buses isn’t fun. It’s hard to stay focused and be ready to go once you get off. It was really hard but something we had to deal with five straight games.”

Fatigue set in last week against the Mustangs in their MLL opener.

Sonora had little trouble with the league calendar in 2014, whipping its foothill neighbors by an average of 45.5 points en route to the crown. The game with Argonaut personified the ease by which the Wildcats moved through the MLL. Sonora rolled the Mustangs 49-0, the first of three shutouts by the defense.

Argonaut (2-3, 0-1) nearly flipped the script last week in a 28-26 overtime loss.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Argonaut,” Craig said. “Their coaching staff had them ready to play. Argonaut played hard, and the more we struggled, the more confidence they got. It was one of those games where we pulled it out when we needed to.”

The Wildcats kept Craig in suspense, trailing by eight late in the fourth quarter. Wyatt Faughnan sent the game into overtime with a touchdown and two-point conversion.

Kane Rodgers scored on the first play in overtime for the Wildcats, diving into the end zone on a counter. Canepa made it 28-20 with a hard run up the middle. If the road has revealed anything about these ’Cats, it’s that Rodgers is ready for the spotlight. The sophomore is third on the team with 228 rushing yards and averaging nearly nine yards per carry.

“We brought him up during the summer so that he could get used to the varsity speed,” Craig said. “He has all of the instincts. Now it’s just a matter of learning to play at this level. He’s still learning, but he has so much potential. I can’t imagine what he’ll be like as a junior and senior.”

Traditionally, Argonaut has bludgeoned teams with its double-wing offense, but much to Craig’s surprise, coach Gary Landergen attacked through the air. The Mustangs pulled within 28-26 with a quick slant, but the same play to the opposite side was broken up by defensive end Jacob Dowler to seal the win.

Craig said Sonora needs to find its identity. Too many of his players, he said, believe success will come as easy as it did in 2014, when Sonora won 11 straight and reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV final.

“We’re not the same team. That team was exceptional,” Craig said. “That team darn-near won a section title. What our seniors need to understand is that they need to establish themselves. They’re trying to ride the coattails of last year’s group. Hopefully, we’re going to work past that and start establishing our identity away from last year.”

If the Wildcats are looking for a statement game, here it is.

Calaveras was picked to finish second behind Sonora in the MLL by its coaches, and the Redskins’ 0-2 start is a thing of the past. Calaveras has won three straight, including 36-8 over Bret Harte last week.

Senior quarterback Dylan Byrd has thrown at least two touchdown passes in the last three games. He had a season-high four scoring passes in a shootout win at Modesto Christian and was nearly perfect last week as the Redskins continued their dominance over the Bullfrogs.

Byrd was 7 of 9 for 173 yards and two touchdowns, spearheading Calaveras’ 16th consecutive win in the rivalry.

“He’s matured a lot. We thought highly of him last year, but this year he’s got the confidence of having run the offense,” Craig said of Byrd, who has eight touchdown passes against just one interception over the last three weeks. “He stands tall in the pocket and knows where to go with the ball. He’s a much better quarterback than last year.”

Sonora has won seven of its last eight games at Dunlavy Field. Canepa believes the team will be inspired by a large and loud crowd Friday.

“They’re going to be even more excited than us,” Canepa said. “They’ve been traveling, too, and I think they’re getting tired of away games. They’re just as stoked to finally have a home game.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 5:52 PM with the headline "No. 1 Sonora happy to be home after month on the road."