The Carlmont Scots took the field against the Woodside Wildcats Friday night, looking to erase their recent loss to Sacred Heart Prep from memory. And they did just that, pounding their way to a 61-16 road victory.
Fullback Si’i Tengei, a junior who rushed for three touchdowns, and quarterback Timothy Netane, a sophomore who passed for two touchdowns, both led Carlmont to victory.
The Scots’ day got off to a rocky start, as Sean McKenna, a Carlmont junior, fumbled the football, which was recovered by the Wildcats.
The Wildcats quickly capitalized on the turnover, scoring on a 23-yard touchdown catch by Ethan Mooney, a senior, a few plays later. Running back Josh Peterson, a senior, found his way into the endzone on a two-point conversion, putting the Wildcats up 8-0.
It seemed as if last weeks’ struggles were going to carry over, as the Scots were forced to punt on the next drive. However, kicker Gino Bonetti, a Carlmont junior, punted the ball to the 1-yard line, where the special teams downed it.
The Scots defense stood resilient, gaining possession of the ball at the 6-yard line. From there, Tengei was able to punch through into the endzone. The Scots missed the extra point, keeping the deficit at 8-6 for the remainder of the first quarter.
Almost as soon as the second quarter began, the Scots scored on a 49-yard touchdown catch by Matt Vo, a senior. This time, the Scots’Â PATÂ was successful, putting them up 13-8.
On the ensuing drive, Woodside quarterback Brody Crowley, a senior, threw a pass that was intercepted by Wes Brown, a Carlmont senior. Brown ran the ball deep into the Wildcats’ territory, which set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Tengei.
“Making plays on defense hypes up the team and the offense and gets our blood pumping … We just go out there and hit it,” Tengei said.
Down 20-8, the Wildcats’ offense was unable to catch a break, as Crowley fumbled the ball into the Scots’ hands. The Scots went back to the aerial attack, scoring on Netane’s 29-yard pass to Brown.
“We are solid with our run game which opens up our wide receivers and tight ends in the passing game, and passing helps us create more space down the field,” Netane said.
As the Wildcats began piecing together a drive of their own, controversy hit. Woodside continued to get the short end of the stick as what seemed to be a great fourth-down play was blown dead by the referees before the Wildcats could complete the pass.
The Scots made good use of the Wildcats’ bad break, driving down the field and scoring on an 8-yard rushing touchdown by Tengei, putting the Scots up 34-8 with 34 seconds left in the half.
The Wildcats got the ball with a chance to score before halftime, but another fumble by Crowley was returned 50 yards for a touchdown by Tengei. The Scots went into the locker room at halftime up 41-8.
Starting with the ball in the second half, the Wildcats drove deep into Carlmont territory, but an incomplete pass out of the endzone resulted in a turnover on downs.
The Scots ran for a few big plays before Jonaven Kuhn, a senior, increased the lead to 48-8 with a 34-yard rushing touchdown.
Down by 40, the Wildcats scored their first touchdown since the opening minutes on a 56-yard run by Peterson. The Wildcats converted the two-point conversion which set the score to 48-16.
“We need to be more consistent [on offense and defense]. There are a lot of new guys learning positions, learning the game, and learning the scheme, and against a team that executes as well as Carlmont, we were in a bit over our heads,” Woodside head coach Justin Andrews said.
However, the Scots were able to respond with another rushing touchdown by Kuhn. This time he ran for 4 yards and put the Scots up 55-16.
The third quarter ended after the Wildcats punted the ball away, still trailing the Scots.
Andrew Shelton, a senior, scored the Scots’ ninth touchdown of the game on a 24-yard run. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called for excessive celebration and was just one of the Scots’ plethora of penalties throughout the game. The PAT was botched, making the score 61-16.
“I think that we’re just better than they are. We made a decision at one point to stop being ridiculous and doing stupid things, and from there on out, it was fine,” Carlmont head coach Jake Messina said.
The Wildcats next drive stalled, and they turned the ball over on downs to the Scots who kneeled to close out the game as 61-16 victors.
The win seemed like a noticeable improvement from the previous week, but Messina chose not to think of it this way.
“The guys we played last week are a Central Cost Sectional top 10 team. The average fan compares scores, but that’s not the correct way to evaluate football. You have to look at the strength of the opponent, and that’s what most people don’t do,” Messina said.
The Scots’ record is now 1-1. Their win places them up next against Independence. Last season, the Scots beat Independence in the second round of playoffs. The Wildcats fall to a record of 0-2 and prepare to play at Leigh, searching for their first win.
