For the first time this season, the Scots did not allow their opponents to take an early lead. Instead, Carlmont varsity started strong and kept that momentum for the whole game.
Four minutes into the first quarter, Junior Demarii Blanks scored a touchdown followed by a two-point conversion.
Blanks dominated the stat sheet, accounting for almost all the scoring in the 46-19 Carlmont victory against Yerba Buena High School on Sept. 9.
“Blanks is by far the most talented person on our team. He also might be the most talented running back in our league,” said senior Charlie Haake.
However, Yerba Buena junior Shalom Filoialii saw a break in Carlmont’s defensive line and scored a touchdown, 8-7 Scots.
The Scots responded quickly as Blanks received a hand off and pushed through tackles along the right sideline to put Carlmont ahead 14-7.
Blanks said, “My line just held their blocks, allowing me to pass and give me an opportunity to go one on one with the defensive backs.”
In addition, Carlmont opted for two-point conversions instead of a kicking an extra point.
Junior Timmy Palthe took advantage of open space on the defensive line and ran in the two-point conversion, giving Carlmont a 16-7 lead.
Palthe said, “Later in the game, it pays off to choose the two-point conversions. We also succeeded five out of six times, so mathematically it’s much more proficient.”
Senior Mathew Tara’s fumble recovery led to Haake’s run towards open space. On the second down, Tara broke through for another long run and third touchdown of the first quarter.
“We need to work on tackles. The other games were closer, just this one was about who would make the least mistakes in the end” said Yerba Buena Coach Marco Osuna.
Blanks scored another two-point conversion to go up 30-12 Scots in the first quarter as they jump out to a big lead.
However, Carlmont’s defensive line failed to defend Fiolialli allowed him to score Yerba Buena’s final touchdown of the night, 38-19 Scots.
Carlmont ended the game 46-19, with Blanks scoring a total of four touchdowns. Haake and Tara each scored one touchdown.
“They played well, but the opponent was not at the level of last weeks, so it’s a wash,” said Coach Jake Messina.
Carlmont had a total of 387 yards, with Blanks accounting for 191 yards. Blanks performance undoubtedly gave the team a strong advantage.
“Blanks was able to avoid blocks and tackles. He had a good stiff arm, was always sidestepping through the lines” said Osuna.
In addition, Carlmont was missing junior Devon Sagon in this game, which made Blanks step up even more.
“Demarii ran the ball very aggressively and made smart decisions. We were really relying on him in the game because Devon Sagon was out so he had a heavier workload,” said Haake.
Compared to last week, Carlmont demonstrated more of a desire to win and reduced the number of mistakes.
“It’s not that we didn’t prepare enough in the past, it’s that we made simple mistakes we allowed the opposing to take advantage and score against us. We executed more than we did last week a lot. The defense played great, which fueled our offense and it showed that was the major difference in our game” said Blanks.
Carlmont will play against Menlo-Atherton next week Sept. 16 at home.
“In the next game, we will have to be exponentially better in order to have any chance of winning,” said Coach Jake Messina.