Voks defense limits Eagles to 62 yards, 5 first downs
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Lanier.
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Lanier prevented Pleasanton from earning a first down over the last three quarters Sept. 5, but still couldn’t work off a three-touchdown deficit.
The Voks (0-2) tried mightily at the SAISD Complex, scoring twice in the final quarter. Although Lanier only allowed one offensive touchdown, Pleasanton (2-0) had enough cushion for a 21-12 non-district win.
“Joel Poth had an outstanding game,” Pleasanton coach Tab Dumont said, referring to the player who scored the Eagles’ first two touchdowns, “and Garrett Bosquez’s punt return was a great play, too. We scored oin all three phases – defense, offense and the kicking game.
“We work a lot on the kicking game, but that may have been the reason we won the game today.”
The Eagles led 21-0 long before halftime, despite being outgained 261-62 by the Voks in total yardage. Lanier’s third fumble of the game thwarted a third-quarter drive, but Julian Castillo (86 yards, 14 carries) dashed 15 yards for a score with 6:14 remaining and Jeremiah Esquivel threw 31 yards to Juan Palomino with 2:45 to play to give the Voks a chance for their first victory. However, Pleasanton recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
Lanier begins District 28-5A play Friday, Sept. 11 with a 7:30 p.m. contest against McCollum (0-2) at Harlandale Memorial Stadium.
“We got better defensively,” Lanier coach Don Gatian said. “Offense is where most of our struggles have been so far. We got a new offensive coordinator and we’re running new plays. It has taken a little time. We’ve got one week to see where we’re at.”
A 14-yard pass from Esquivel (14 of 26, 155 yards) to Adrian Lozoya and an Eagles pass interference penalty set up Castillo’s touchdown.
“We changed some things at halftime,” Gatian said. “We moved the ball well in the second half.”
Following a three-and-out, two more Pleasanton penalties aided Lanier’s final scoring drive. It appeared to stall after a pair of incomplete passes, but Esquivel found Palomino streaking down the right sideline on a fourth-and-16.
“We were getting a lot of pressure on them,” Dumont said. “So, they were able to get off some short pops. Their kids made some great plays. We had them covered well.”
Poth scored twice in little more than a minute late in the first quarter. The senior finished a long drive with a three-yard run at the 2:46 mark. Three plays after the kickoff, he recovered a Voks fumble on a and dashed 12 yards to the end zone for a 14-0 advantage.
Pleasanton only ran 12 plays in the second quarter, but increased its lead. Bosquez returned Raul Solis’ 44-yard punt 77 yards for a touchdown with 5:22 until halftime.
The Voks will be haunted by a dropped would-be touchdown pass two plays after Bosquez’s return. Steve Torres returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Pleasanton 34. Following a one-yard loss, Esquivel took a shot at the end zone but Lanier wasn’t able to connect.
Lanier fumbled four times in the first half, losing two. The turnovers inhibited the Voks’ efforts to build any offensive continuity.
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