The only thing that stopped the Righetti Warriors football team Friday night was the clock.
The Warriors scored touchdowns on all six first half possessions, building a 40-0 lead by halftime, on the way to a 53-0 victory over their crosstown rival, the Santa Maria Saints.
While many in the packed house at Warrior Stadium expected to see the Ryan (Mole) Express dominate the game, Righetti coach Greg Dickinson had another game plan up his sleeve.
Senior running sensation Ryan Mole didn't even touch the ball on Righetti's first series of the game, yet the Warriors marched 80 yards on five plays to set the tone for the night.
Righetti junior quarterback Jonathan Dally led a balanced attack, mixing in a strong air attack with the Warriors' powerful running game.
"We knew all along we had a quality quarterback in Jonathan Dally. I think he's a big time player," said Dickinson. "He's capable of a performance like tonight's every time out."
Santa Maria's star kicker Victor Velasco opened the game putting the ball into the end zone. That was one of the few highlights for Santa Maria for the night.
The Warriors opened their first drive at their own 20 yard line.
Last week, when Righetti dismantled Ayala of Chino Hills, Mole ran for a 61-yard touchdown on Righetti's first offensive play.
The crowd was ready for more of Mole, but Dally opened with a 37-yard pass to senior wide receiver Ben Grover.
Dally then threw an incomplete pass to running back Mark Malangko, followed with an 11-yard run by senior fullback Travis MacDonald and an 11-yard completion to tight end Steven Smith.
Mole still hand't touched the ball. So Dicksonson called senior fullback Luke Deras' number and he took a handoff from Dally, raced around the left end, got hit a couple of times and powered his way into the end zone for the game's first score.
"We have a lot of help on this offense. Grover, Smith, Malangko and the rest of the team are big contributors'" said Dickinson.
Coach Dickinson's bit of mis-direction would soon end.
Mole opened the Warrior's second possession with an 11-yard run. He ended it with a 21-yard scamper around the right side for the game's second score.
And so it went; Dally mixing it up, Mole running and receiving and the rest of the Righetti offense contributing to an easy win.
"It didn't surprise me that they mixed it up," said Saints coach Jim Doyle.
But the Saints never gave in or gave up.
"Our kids don't quit," said Doyle. ""Our (defensive) front three and our backers played pretty well in the first half but our inexperience showed."
For the night, Dally, playing thie first three quarters, was 11-for-16 passing for 201 yards with three touchdowns.
Mole, playing only the first half, gained 147-yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns. Mole also caught four passes for 93 yards and scored two more TD's, one on a 50-yard shuttle pass catch and run.
Coach Dickinson got all his starters involved. Junior running back Mark Malangko had nine carries, good for 487 yards and one touchdown. Deras had four carries for 30 yards and the game's first score. Chad Stephens ran three times for 13 yards. Lino Esparza, Brad Comaduran Alex Ramirez, Travis MacDonald and Chad Simpson all shared in the running duties with Comaduran picking up a touchdown along the way.
Grover (3 catches for 62 yards) and Smith (4 for 46) were sure handed receivers helping Righetti present a balanced attack.
The Righetti defense, anchored by Duras and Danny Lauer in the middle shut down the Santa Maria offense.
The Saints managed just two first downs in the game, one in each half.
The Saints were held to just 97 yards total offense; 52 on the ground and 47 through the air.
Santa Maria's junior quarterback Billy Kennedy was hurried and harried all night. He was just two for 11 passing. He was repeatedly rushed into throwing early to avoid being sacked, just missing the mark on many of his throws.
"Offensively we tried some things with our passing game. We had some missed opportunities.
"I think their (defensive) front played well in the first half. we just wore them down," Dickinson said.
"I'm proud of our team," said Doyle. "We'll build on this. There are a number of things we have to work on but our kids are willing to work. We just have to capitalize on our opportunities when we get them.
Righetti (2-0) travels to LPL power Lompoc next Friday night.
Santa Maria (0-1) heads down to Santa Barbara to take on Dos Pueblos.
September 13, 2003