Behind a four-touchdown performance by senior quarterback
Brandon Pickens, and a stifling defense Christopher pulled off a
decisive 50-0 victory Friday night in Morgan Hill.
By Josiah Rodriguez, Dispatch correspondent
All week, Christopher High head coach Tim Pierleoni had his Cougars prepare to stop Live Oak’s electric running back Trevor Bearden, who posted more than 300 yards of offense last week.
The Cougars’ defense did just that, holding the sophomore to six yards rushing.
And that was just the beginning.
Behind a four-touchdown performance by senior quarterback Brandon Pickens, Christopher pulled off a decisive 50-0 victory Friday night in Morgan Hill.
“Everything you saw in the game was a result of how hard both the coaching staff and the kids worked all week,” Pierleoni said.
Arguably the biggest result of hard work in the Cougars’ first win of the season was a 21-point flash in the final 1:40 of the second quarter that opened up the game 35-0 in favor of the Cougars going into halftime.
The three-score barrage started when Pickens found a wide-open Nader Elaskary, who leaped over Acorns’ defenders for a 15-yard touchdown. After a two-point conversion and an Acorns’ fumble on the ensuing kickoff return, Pickens lobbed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Babb that put the Cougars up 28-0 with 1:25 left.
As long as there was still time on the clock, the Cougars were not ready to leave the field without reaching the end zone once more.
With five seconds left, Bryant Cid soared into the air to intercept Acorns quarterback Taylor Turnipseed’s pass, then processed to scamper untouched 53-yards to the end zone for the Cougars’ five-touchdown advantage.
“Once I got it, I just did what our coaches teach us to do when we intercept the ball – look to the sidelines and look for some blockers and find a hole,” said Cid about his interception for a touchdown.
The Cougars, who tallied 425 yards of total offense, were able to find redemption in a big way against a Live Oak team that handed them a 21-3 loss last season.
“There is no doubt that Live Oak is a good team, so tonight’s win was huge for us,” said Pickens, who was 13-for-24 passing for 227 yards and the four touchdowns.
From the get-go, the Cougars defense was able to shut down the Acorns’ running game, holding Bearden and company to just four yards in their first two possessions.
The Cougars drew blood on their second offensive drive with a Pickens touchdown pass on a fade route to Mikey Pirnik with 2:23 left in the first quarter. The Cougars added on to the lead 14-0 after a 12-yard touchdown run by Marcus Harrell.
Harrell and senior running back Nic Slater anchored a ground attack that totaled 198 yards.
Pickens was extremely economical with his passes, but his biggest target of the night was sophomore Rayshon Mills. Pickens completed three passes of 40 or more yards to Mills, including a 48-yard pass down the sideline early in the third quarter, which led to a Slater 3-yard rushing touchdown that put the Cougars up 48-0 early in the third quarter.
“I had told (Pickens) that last week he wasn’t passing me the ball that much,” Mills said with a look toward his quarterback, taping Pickens’ shoulder. “All week we just worked on our routes and getting those right and it paid off tonight.”
Despite the score, the Cougars did have some moments of weakness in the penalty department. Most notably was a Harrell punt return for a touchdown that was called back because of an illegal push to the back.
“If there was any flaw to point out for us, it was the penalties,” Pierleoni said. “Last week we had a few penalties that hurt us and although they didn’t hurt us tonight, it is something that we still need to work on.”
Penalties aside, the Cougars were able to post their first shutout in school history.
“It’s a good victory for us,” Pierleoni said. “You get enjoy it for a couple of minutes, and then it’s about getting after it the next game, but if each time the kids keep working harder and harder, we’ll be alright.”
The Cougars (1-1) host Pacific Grove next week at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
