The stands were packed, the team was pumped and the band was rocking as the boys took the field on Friday against the Benicia High School Panthers. It didn’t take long for the fired up Dons defense to take control of the line of scrimmage. Dylan Murphy, Brady Morrow, Drew McKenzie, Jack Giorgianni, Collin Malmquist, Everett Glass, Deonte Littlejohn and the rest of the Acalanes defenders sent a clear message early in the contest….”Tonight will NOT be your night Panthers!”
The swarming defense was everywhere! It created three key turnovers that kept the momentum in the Dons corners throughout the evening. Everett Glass started the turnover party with a well timed punch out to create a fumble and stop a Benicia drive in the 1st quarter.
Defense!
Ethan Pancoast added an interception in the end zone to shipwreck another Panther drive and Kirin Foster put the finishing touches on another strong defensive performance with a late 4th quarter interception to seal the victory.
The Sack Exchange was in the house, led by Dylan Murphy with 2 quarterback sacks. Drew McKenzie (7 tackles) and Collin Malmquist (11 tackles) each had one sack and led the team in tackles. Malmquist also led the Homecoming halftime festivities.
Malmquist had quite a day!
The Dons offense was equally effective. Acalanes outgained Benicia 539 yards to 183 yards. QB Sully Bailey found open wide receivers for big gains throughout the first half. White, Souza, Zirkel and Rodgers all caught balls of 25 or more. Bailey also ran one in on his own. The score was 35-0 at halftime before the Homecomings festivities took over the field.
Trevor Rodgers had an outstanding game with 2 Touchdowns and 107 yards on 4 catches, Niko White scored on a 69 yard run and added 4 catches to his solid day and Henry Souza had 2 catches for 79 yards and 2 Touchdowns in his impressive outing. The running game knocked out 272 yards with Miller, White, Bailey, Giorgianni and Littlejohn enjoying big holes thanks to the offensive line.
Jake Boselli added 2 tackles and a fumble recovery on defense before he threw for a touchdown and ran for another in the 4th quarter. Boselli also went 7-7 kicking extra points to complete his all around performance.
The Dons are heading to the final 3 league games of the season with a Friday evening tilt in Orinda against the 7-0 Miramonte Matadors, before they head to Las Lomas next week and eventually finish the season at home against the Campolindo Cougars. Grab your crew and make the trip to Orinda on Friday to get the playoff push off to a great start. These boys are on a mission to win the league.
The time is now. Let’s Go Dons!!! Time to turn up the volume!