After the starting quarterback was lost to an injury in the fourth game of the season, the San Marcos High football team could have gone down the wrong road.
Instead, the Knights have followed a two-game lapse with three consecutive wins, including a convincing 27-0 romp over Ramona in a pivotal Palomar League clash Friday night at San Marcos. The victory kept the Knights (6-2, 3-0) tied for first place in the league standings with No. 8 Del Norte, which also improved to 3-0 in league play with a 20-10 win over Mt. Carmel on Thursday.
“We’ve just stayed locked in, and our coaches have us playing smart,” said San Marcos junior receiver Jase Nix, who caught six es for 100 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Bradley Jenkins for the first score of the night early in the second period.
Jenkins took over the signal-calling duties after starting quarterback Kreet Makihele was lost to a collarbone injury during a Week 4 loss at Torrey Pines. Makihele had thrown 12 touchdown es in the Knights’ first three games, but San Marcos has recovered from the two defeats since with three straight victories in his absence. Against Ramona (4-3, 2-1), Jenkins completed 11-of-16 es for 169 yards and two TDs.
“Bradley has really stepped up his game every week,” Nix said.
A 45-yard punt return by Nix led to the Knights’ first score, which came on the fifth play following the return when Jenkins found Nix in the left corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown on the second snap of the second period.
Following a Ramona punt, the hosts took over at their own 38-yard line and needed just four plays to score. Two of those plays were es from Jenkins to Nix for 39 yards and to Brady Pohl over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown connection.
Another strong punt return, this one of 22 yards by Nix, led to a 26-yard TD run by junior running back Tabari Lane, who burst up the middle untouched for a 20-0 Knights lead with 2:16 remaining before halftime.
“I’m so proud of all of our players,” said Knights coach Tom Carroll. “The resiliency they have shown is huge.
“I thought we might have a shootout tonight, but our defense came up big and tackled very well.”
“We knew we had to shut down their run game,” said Knights senior Cayden Woolwine, who moved from middle linebacker to the edge and was in on two quarterback sacks. “Plus, Ramona ended our season last year in the playoffs, so this was a big game for us.”
The deepest penetration by the Ramona offense was to the San Marcos 20-yard line late in the third period, but the Bulldogs came up empty after two incomplete es, and the Knights drove 80 yards on 11 plays to a 1-yard TD plunge by Ethan Martinez to close out the scoring with 9:53 left in the contest.
“It was a complete meltdown on our part,” said Ramona coach Damon Baldwin. “We were unfocused and that’s my fault.
“We did not play with Bulldog heart.”
Senior running back Adrian Enriquez led the Bulldogs with 138 yards rushing on 19 carries, but Ramona had just 44 ing yards. The Bulldogs were without the services of returning all-league receiver Jamil Kassab, a senior who suffered a broken collarbone in the previous week’s win over Rancho Bernardo after securing six touchdown receptions in Ramona’s first six games.
San Marcos’ next game is on the road at Rancho Bernardo on Oct. 20, while Ramona is home for Del Norte.
SAN MARCOS 27, RAMONA 0
Ramona 0 0 0 0 — 0
San Marcos 0 20 0 7 — 27
SM — Nix 22 from Jenkins (Pickering kick)
SM — Pohl 15 from Jenkins ( failed)
SM — Lane 26 run (Pickering kick)
SM — Martinez 1 run (Pickering kick)
