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Senior running back Bobby Tomas rushes for a few of his 107 yards during Goldwater’s 36‑0 whitewash of Yuma last Friday night. Two Bulldogs running backs topped 100 yards in the season‑opening victory.
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Bulldogs roar in opener
Goldwater shuts out Yuma, 36‑0
by Jason Stone

NORTH VALLEY – For those who thought last year’s Goldwater High School co‑region championship was a fluke, one number stands out–401

That’s the number of rushing yards the Bulldogs racked up last week in the season opener, a 36‑0 blowout of Yuma High School that sends a message to the rest of the state that the Bulldogs’ momentum from last year is continuing in ‘07.

Goldwater dominated all facets of the game and made easy work of the Criminals (0‑1). The Bulldogs had two 100‑yard rushers (C.J. Morgan and Bobby Tomas), a 100‑yard passer (Robbie Kirn), five sacks and three turnovers forced. It all added up to dominance.

“It’s hard to single out one thing we did the best,” Goldwater coach Ed Cook, said. “If anything, our biggest thing was our line play offensively and defensively.”

The offensive line helped the running game get going early with an assortment of trap plays up the middle that worked to perfection.

Morgan got things going early with a 58‑yard touchdown run in the first quarter. A Garrett Lee 2‑point conversion run made it 8‑0. Lee then scored touchdowns rushing and receiving to blow the game open near halftime.

Morgan, who finished with 193 yards on 10 carries, broke off another long run in the third quarter when his 88‑yard score put Goldwater up 29‑0.

Goldwater’s defense, which picked up its first shutout since blanking Sandra Day O’Connor High School last season, sacked Yuma’s quarterbacks five times. Mike Chavez, John May, Brandon Newport, Bobby Tomas and Taney Tuiteleapaga each picked up one.

The win was good news for the Bulldogs who have two tough road games coming up. Goldwater will play Ironwood Ridge and Pinnacle high schools over the next two weeks. Coincidentally, those two teams played each other last week with Pinnacle coming away with a 23‑3 victory.

“They are both very good teams,” Cook said about the two opponents. “It’s hard to get a good feel for them, though, on (tape) for some reason. Ironwood Ridge played well and the game could have gone either way, but Pinnacle’s defense was great and they did what they had to do.”

The Bulldogs won’t play a Northwest Region game until Oct. 5 when they have a road date in Surprise against first‑year program Valley Vista high School. The region as a whole received a boost when Boulder Creek high School upset St. Mary’s high school, which improves the power point standings of all the region teams.

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