South Fork Football Dominates Round Valley 87-14

South Fork High School’s varsity football team improved its record to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the NCL3 8-man football league. The Cubs gained 639 total yards and made 10 touchdowns in an offensive explosion that saw sophomore Elijah Roberts score his second TD in as many games and gain 119 yards rushing while freshman Sean Hassall-Hass played quarterback for more than 2 quarters, getting a TD of his own on a quarterback sneak.

It was a chance to look into the future for the Cubs as head coach Andy Olsen was able to rest many of his more seasoned players in the lop-sided win. Sophomore Austin Worrell played more offense than he usually does and made a 60-yard TD run, breaking two tackles along the way.

Freshman John Gamble got some experience at center, holding his own on the line against a 280-pound opponent. Junior Ayden Gallagher had a long punt return and performed well on defense.

“It was nice not having to have everyone play on both sides of the ball. We were able to keep the players fresh out there, and give some guys a chance at new positions as well as get a lot of playing time to our younger guys,” said Olsen.

Senior Jon Jon Gotcher, usually at center, got to play a little linebacker and had 8 tackles, earning the “defensive player of the game” title. Worrell also had 8 tackles and an interception.

Questioned about the large deficit in the score, Olsen said, “I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a game like that and I give Round Valley a lot of credit. They never gave up and had great sportsmanship.”

Round Valley’s game plan was to throw the ball, which they did a lot, but without a lot of success. Each time an incomplete pass was thrown the clock stopped, effectively preserving more time for South Fork to play offense. With most of South Fork’s starters replaced, the younger members of the team played hard.

Round Valley did score both of its TDs on passing plays.

Next up for the Cubs is a road trip to Santa Rosa on Saturday to play Roseland Collegiate Prep. Kick-off will be at noon at Cardinal Newman High School. RCP is 1-4 on the season. They are coming off a 70-14 loss to Upper Lake, the only NCL3 team other than South Fork to remain undefeated.