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PG’s offense strikes early, avoids late collapse
  
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By John Hull - Citizen Sports Writer
Most of the city of Grass Valley showed up Friday night to Mark Macres Memorial Stadium in Elk Grove. But, the guys that came disguise as Nevada Union football players for much of the first half didn’t perform their part for their fans.
They were supposed to look like a Dave Humphers-coached Miner football team that roughs and toughs their opponent around the field, sending running backs in different directions out of their vaunted Wing-T offense, making defenses guess who has the ball.
That team didn’t arrive until the second half.
By then, Pleasant Grove had knocked Nevada Union’s offense on its heels early and converted two first-quarter Miner miscues into touchdowns, then held on for a 21-18 win in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinal.
Most of eastern Elk Grove sat in the west bleachers to see the Eagles romp to a surprising 21-3 half time lead. Then after intermission the real Nevada Union team showed up and almost pulled off a come-from-behind win.
“We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole in the opening minutes of the game that we really couldn’t climb out of, “ Humphers said of the Miners’ first half play.
Nevada Union had just three yards total offense in the first quarter, but piled on 340 yards in the next three periods. The Miner defense also held Pleasant Grove to just 30 yards and one first down the rest of the way.
But, a key stop by Eagle safety Russell Vonschoech on fullback Drew Hoskin on a fourth-and- two at the Miner 45-yard line with 3:31 left, plus Michael Madkins’ inteception of a Broughan Jantz pass, his second of the game, with just 1:28 remaining sealed Pleasant Grove’s 10th win of the season.
“We had a punt return called back (early in the fourth quarter) and that’s how football goes,” Humphers added. “Congrats to Joe Cattolico, his staff and his players for really coming through tonight and doing a good job. They were the better football team tonight.”
This was a big win for the Eagles’ Cattolico.
“Nevada Union is on the short list of the teams you compare yourself with to see how your program is doing in this section,” he said afterwards.
Amazingly, it was the Eagles’ passing game that stung the Miners in the first quarter. Quarterback Jalen Saunders, who was 6 of 9 for 64 yards and one interception, had two quick completions in the opening drive and led Pleasant Grove 54 yards in only five plays to the first touchdown of the game. Vonschoech sprinted around right end with a 35-yard reverse and Greg Williams tacked on the extra point for an early 7-0 lead.
The Eagles stopped the Miners on their opening series and forced a punt. Jantz, who doubles as the punter, let the snap slip through his hands and had to scurry back to his own 1-yard line to cover the ball. Madkins popped it over on the next play and Pleasant Grove had a 14-0 lead only four minutes into the game.
Early in the second quarter Madkins stepped in front of a Jantz pass and scooted down the left sidelines untouched for a 31-yard interception return for a 21-0 cushion.
Connor Maloney got Nevada Union on the scoreboard just 31 seconds before half with a 34-yard field goal.
But, it was a different game in the second half.
“They definitely shut us down,” Cattolico admitted. “Defensively they are pretty good. They obviously made some adjustments at halftime and we didn’t do as good a job as we should have.”
Jantz, who had two interceptions and the muffed snap on the punt in the first half, redeemed himself with a big 65-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10 midway through the third quarter. Jantz, though, ended the game with just six completions in 16 attempts for 90 yards and three interceptions.
Humphers then pulled some plays out of his old Wing-T playbook and began to chew up yardage on the ground.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Miners drove 97 yards in 13 plays with Hoskin running the ball over from the two. Jantz then hooked up with Cole Stanford on the left sideline for the two-point conversion as Nevada Union cut the deficit to three, 21-18.
After holding the Eagles and forcing a punt, the Miners’ Jared Ralph took a Williams punt at his 33 and broke up the left sideline virtually untouched for what appeared to be a go-ahead score, but a yellow flag was laying on the ground at the Nevada Union 37.
The return was negated on an illegal block in the back.
“It was huge,” Cattolico said about the referee’s call. “It was a pretty obvious cut block. We’ve been stressing all year with our kids that the officials will make some calls you like and some calls you don’t like and you play through all that and hopefully the best football team wins.”
The Miners then reeled off six plays on the ground and, with the ball on their own 45 and the clocking winding down on the game and Nevada Union’s season, Hoskin was given the ball on a quick dive play. But, Vonschoech, at 5-foot-6, stood him up a the line of scrimmage to prevent the first down.
“We pretty much knew they would try to take it down the middle because they had done that on all their short plays,” Vonschoech said afterwards. “But, we had to first wait to see if it was a fake, but when I (saw the handoff) I got there as quick as I could.”
Vonschoech led the Eagles with 10 tackles, an interception and a key pass deflection late in the fourth quarter.
“City Championship, baby, “ he exclaimed. “And, we topped last year’s team. That was our motivation all week.”
They were supposed to look like a Dave Humphers-coached Miner football team that roughs and toughs their opponent around the field, sending running backs in different directions out of their vaunted Wing-T offense, making defenses guess who has the ball.
That team didn’t arrive until the second half.
By then, Pleasant Grove had knocked Nevada Union’s offense on its heels early and converted two first-quarter Miner miscues into touchdowns, then held on for a 21-18 win in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinal.
Most of eastern Elk Grove sat in the west bleachers to see the Eagles romp to a surprising 21-3 half time lead. Then after intermission the real Nevada Union team showed up and almost pulled off a come-from-behind win.
“We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole in the opening minutes of the game that we really couldn’t climb out of, “ Humphers said of the Miners’ first half play.
Nevada Union had just three yards total offense in the first quarter, but piled on 340 yards in the next three periods. The Miner defense also held Pleasant Grove to just 30 yards and one first down the rest of the way.
But, a key stop by Eagle safety Russell Vonschoech on fullback Drew Hoskin on a fourth-and- two at the Miner 45-yard line with 3:31 left, plus Michael Madkins’ inteception of a Broughan Jantz pass, his second of the game, with just 1:28 remaining sealed Pleasant Grove’s 10th win of the season.
“We had a punt return called back (early in the fourth quarter) and that’s how football goes,” Humphers added. “Congrats to Joe Cattolico, his staff and his players for really coming through tonight and doing a good job. They were the better football team tonight.”
This was a big win for the Eagles’ Cattolico.
“Nevada Union is on the short list of the teams you compare yourself with to see how your program is doing in this section,” he said afterwards.
Amazingly, it was the Eagles’ passing game that stung the Miners in the first quarter. Quarterback Jalen Saunders, who was 6 of 9 for 64 yards and one interception, had two quick completions in the opening drive and led Pleasant Grove 54 yards in only five plays to the first touchdown of the game. Vonschoech sprinted around right end with a 35-yard reverse and Greg Williams tacked on the extra point for an early 7-0 lead.
The Eagles stopped the Miners on their opening series and forced a punt. Jantz, who doubles as the punter, let the snap slip through his hands and had to scurry back to his own 1-yard line to cover the ball. Madkins popped it over on the next play and Pleasant Grove had a 14-0 lead only four minutes into the game.
Early in the second quarter Madkins stepped in front of a Jantz pass and scooted down the left sidelines untouched for a 31-yard interception return for a 21-0 cushion.
Connor Maloney got Nevada Union on the scoreboard just 31 seconds before half with a 34-yard field goal.
But, it was a different game in the second half.
“They definitely shut us down,” Cattolico admitted. “Defensively they are pretty good. They obviously made some adjustments at halftime and we didn’t do as good a job as we should have.”
Jantz, who had two interceptions and the muffed snap on the punt in the first half, redeemed himself with a big 65-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10 midway through the third quarter. Jantz, though, ended the game with just six completions in 16 attempts for 90 yards and three interceptions.
Humphers then pulled some plays out of his old Wing-T playbook and began to chew up yardage on the ground.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Miners drove 97 yards in 13 plays with Hoskin running the ball over from the two. Jantz then hooked up with Cole Stanford on the left sideline for the two-point conversion as Nevada Union cut the deficit to three, 21-18.
After holding the Eagles and forcing a punt, the Miners’ Jared Ralph took a Williams punt at his 33 and broke up the left sideline virtually untouched for what appeared to be a go-ahead score, but a yellow flag was laying on the ground at the Nevada Union 37.
The return was negated on an illegal block in the back.
“It was huge,” Cattolico said about the referee’s call. “It was a pretty obvious cut block. We’ve been stressing all year with our kids that the officials will make some calls you like and some calls you don’t like and you play through all that and hopefully the best football team wins.”
The Miners then reeled off six plays on the ground and, with the ball on their own 45 and the clocking winding down on the game and Nevada Union’s season, Hoskin was given the ball on a quick dive play. But, Vonschoech, at 5-foot-6, stood him up a the line of scrimmage to prevent the first down.
“We pretty much knew they would try to take it down the middle because they had done that on all their short plays,” Vonschoech said afterwards. “But, we had to first wait to see if it was a fake, but when I (saw the handoff) I got there as quick as I could.”
Vonschoech led the Eagles with 10 tackles, an interception and a key pass deflection late in the fourth quarter.
“City Championship, baby, “ he exclaimed. “And, we topped last year’s team. That was our motivation all week.”
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