Miner On The Run
Nevada Union Jr. Miners midget running back Hank Humphers blasts his way through Rocklin's defensein last Saturday's action at Hooper Stadium. Humphers and the Miners posted a 19-6 win to set up a key SYFC Placer-Mountain Division showdown Saturday at Bear River. See details below.
Oct. 14, 2008
NU, Bear River Midgets Square Off Saturday
Division supremacy and playoff seeding will be at stake this Saturday at Lake of the Pines when Bear River’s Jr. Bruins host Nevada Union’s Jr. Miners in regular season ending Sierra Youth Football Conference games.
In two divisions – the Midgets and Peewees – the Placer Mountain Division leadership will be on the line.
The Peewees will play at 1 p.m. while the Midget game will get going at 5 p.m.In the Peewees division, NU holds a 2-0 divisional record while Bear River is 1-1. Meanwhile, Bear River’s midget squad is 2-0 in division games and 5-2 overall and holds a one game lead over Nevada Union, 1-1, 4-3, and Placer, 1-1, 4-3.
In last weekend’s action, midget games saw Nevada Union top Rocklin, 19-6; Bear River down Natomas, 14-7; and Placer outscore Whitney, 44-36.
Nevada Union 19 Rocklin 6 - The Jr. Miners were clicking on both offense and defense in the throttling of the Thunder.Offensively, Gabe Humphers and Tanner Vallejo formed a solid 1-2 rushing punch as Humphers picked up some critical yards in third down conversions and Vallejo tallied a pair of touchdowns while going over the century mark.
Quarterback Kyle Cota was also on target for the Miners as he connected with wide out Jared Cook on a 45-yard scoring toss and also starred on defense with a pass interception.
Also having strong games defensively for NU were Stone Sander, Baldwin, Maffucci, Good, Vallejo and Miller. Meanwhile, Cook also netted another pass pickoff for the winners.
Another critical factor in the NU win was the offensive line play of Dudley, Townsend, Hurst, Miller and Alves as the team’s second half ground game shined.
In other NU-Rocklin action, the division leading Jr. Miners Jr. Midgets team dropped a 24-14 decision but maintained a lead in their division with a 2-0 record, better that Placer and Lincoln, both with 1-1 marks.
Bear River Jr. Bruins Midgets 14 Natomas 7 - The Bruins tuned up for their big SYFC game against NU by using a strong team effort to clip the wings of the Natomas Nighthawks 14-7.
Bear River took the field with their sights set on the win and in the first quarter a fumble recovery in the end zone by Ty Anthony DePalma-Sheilds allowed them to put the first points on the board.
Meanwhile, Natomas was held to one touchdown and a one point conversion in the second quarter while Bear River responded with a touch down of their own when Cody Heard scored on a run and Hayden Macklin booted his second successful PAT.
The second half was a battle of defenses with both teams being held scoreless through the final two quarters.Bear River’s offense was in the red zone late in the game on a 30 yard pass from quarterback Dillon Smith to Nick Rousseau however the Bruins ran out the clock to preserve the win.
Also standing out in the win were Eli Allen, Conrad Ball, Chris Beardsley, Alec Bergstad, Aaron Cloyd, Zachary Daugherty, Austin Dowling, Sean Harwood, Derek Lilienthal, Travis McKnight, Derek Ross, Jake Savoie, Shane Soria, Dakota Stroh, Nathan Uclaray and Zach Winter.
Bear River and Nevada Union will face off on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Bear River High School in the Jr. Bruins’ Homecoming.
Placer 44 Whitney 36 – Placer running back Michael Robinson rushed for 230 yards and tallied four touchdowns on 13 carries to lead the Placer Jr. Hillmen Midgets to a wild 44-36 comeback victory over the Whitney Jr. Wildcats Saturday.
The Hillmen were down 12-0 early in the contest before roaring back to overhaul the Wildcats.Jordan Smith had 110 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in his return from an injury, Jacob Moman had a 33-yard touchdown run and quarterback Casey Yunk completed half of his passes.
Kicker Dominic Granieri kept the Whitney offense deep in its own territory all game. Robinson led Placer (4-3) with eight tackles. Eddie Vanderdoes, Smith and Yunk each finished with five tackles.
In the Junior Midget division, the Jr. Hillmen beat the Jr. Wildcats 30-0. Todd Valliere rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns and Colton Blackwell had 65 rushing yards, including a 10-yard score. The Hillmen defense held Whitney to four first downs the entire game. Tyler Blanchette had an interception for Placer (3-4).
Placer's teams conclude their regular season at home Saturday against the Lincoln Jr. Zebras. The Mighty Mites (0-7) kick off action at 9 a.m. followed by the Jr. Pee Wees (2-5) at 11, the Pee Wees (1-6) at 1 p.m., the Jr. Midgets at 3 p.m. and the Midgets at 5 p.m.