Bobcats defense slows, but can’t stop Vols
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During a stretch of the first half, South San’s defense forced Kyle Fuller into throwing eight consecutive incomplete passes Friday at South San Stadium.
The Bobcats (2-2) eventually saw what district rival Southwest and other previous opponents learned about the promising Lee junior quarterback. Fuller (25 of 43, 430 yards) is tough to keep in check throughout an entire game.
He threw for five touchdowns as Lee pulled away to a 32-13 victory over South San. The first touchdown came on a 37-yard pass to Mark Sullivan just 52 seconds into the non-district game.
“I think what happened on the first series, was the defense wasn’t used to their speed,” South San coach Marcus Booker said. “As soon as we got used to their speed, we didn’t really control (Fuller), but we were able to contain the guy.”
South San’s defense recovered two fumbles in addition to the incomplete passes, which spanned the first and second quarter. However, the Bobcats couldn’t cut into the deficit.
They were stopped at the Lee 13 on their first possession and lost a fumble on the second. After a South San defensive stop, another fumble struck. This time, though, Joe Alcorta pounced on a fumble and got the ball back three plays later.
With 7:37 remaining until halftime and the Volunteers leading 7-0, South San quarterback Isaiah Gutierrez completed passes to Tyrell Courtney and Joseph Miera into Lee territory. Two Vols penalties propelled the drive, but two from the Bobcats helped stall it at the Lee 35.
“I thought we played well,” Booker said. “What killed us was that every time we were (35 yards from scoring), we had a penalty or a fumble or a missed assignment. We had three missed blocks, all on fourth down.”
Lee marched 99 yards to score six seconds before the half on a 22-yard pass from Fuller to Sergio Solis. The Volunteers led 14-0.
The Bobcats closed to within 14-6 little more than two minutes into the second half. Efrain Medina blocked a punt to set South San up 41 yards from the end zone. Junior back Justin Acosta (86 yards, 14 carries) covered the distance in two runs, scoring from 34 yards out.
Fuller and company regrouped again to score at the 5:02 mark of the third quarter. Sullivan scored once more on a 38-yard pass play. Following an interception, the junior threw 45 yards to Chris Adams for a 26-6 advantage.
“We just stuck with what we were doing,” Fuller said. “It feels good (to win). It kept us rolling, going into district next week.”
With Gutierrez out because of a shoulder injury, replacement Enrique Andrade threw 22 yards to Rafael Lopez to complete the scoring with 3:51 remaining. Lopez stretched out in the end zone to make the catch.
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