After two tough losses in back-to-back weeks, the Pioneer Valley gridmen returned to their winning ways Friday night with a dominating 47-0 home shutout of Mission Prep.

”It feels good. It feels like normal,“ said sophomore cornerback Steve Rucobo. ”We kind of fell back last week, but it feels good to get the shutout against a decent team.“

The Panthers' swarming defense was all over Royals quarterback Brett Weeks and then his replacement, George Johnson, hitting them with five sacks for a loss of 71 yards. Weeks was limited to just 4-of-20 passing for 50 yards and an interception.

”Their quarterback was ranked pretty high on the Central Coast, but we did our job today,“ said Rucobo, who recorded a first-quarter pick.

Junior Alan Laframboise tallied two sacks - one for a 27-yard loss late in the second quarter - while teammates Josh Vogt, Andrew Gonzales, and Jamie Davis registered one sack each.

”We knew they were going to put the ball up fifty times. Our goal was to try to find ways to get heat on him and we came at him from a bunch of different angles,“ said Pioneer Valley coach Greg Dickinson. ”The kids wanted that shutout. Although we subbed quite readily throughout the second half, the other kids who came in did their job.“

The Mission Prep offense was held to only 87 yards in the air and minus 16 yards on the ground.

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In contrast, the host Panthers (5-2) never punted - scoring on their first six possessions and seven of their first eight. They downed the ball to run out the clock in the first half and at the end of the game. The only time they were stopped was on a fourth-and-six from the Mission Prep 23-yard line.

”This week we said our whole goal was to get out of the gates fast and we did,“ said Dickinson. ”The offense line had a good surge and we did what we needed to do.“

Four different Panthers had rushing touchdowns led by Buddy Garcia (6 carries for 63 yards) with two before making an early exit. Sophomore Josiah Morales turned into the workhorse in the second half, finishing with 93 yards and a TD on 12 carries, while Frank Tovar added 73 yards and score on 11 carries.

”Earlier in the year, (Morales) was one of our sweepers, but today Buddy got a little dinged up so we put him at tailback and he ran hard,“ said Dickinson. ”He's got a good lean. He runs hard every time.“

Junior Chris Etheridge accounted for the other two of six rushing touchdowns on a pair of short runs. Etheridge then replaced starting quarterback Bryan Beyers behind center after Beyers took a late hit from his blindside.

”He's all right,“ said Dickinson of Beyers, who threw a 28-yard touchdown strike to tight end Aaron Hernandez before getting hurt. ”He took a shot right below his rib protector, so he'll be all right. It was just precautionary. We didn't want him to take any more shots.“

Junior Kevin Rucker rushed for 42 yards and caught one pass for seven yards, while receiver Diego De Miranda made two grabs for 21 yards, and almost everyone got involved on the Pioneer side.

”It feels like a second family with these guys,“ said Rucobo. ”Even though I'm only a sophomore, I feel closer to these guys than I've ever felt any team. Mentally and physically, that helps us.“

The Panthers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and then poured it in the second quarter with four touchdowns for a 41-0 halftime lead. The clock ran continuously in the second half.

The blowout victory ended Pioneer Valley's two-game skid after consecutive losses to Templeton and San Ysidro. Now, the Panthers can rest their wounds with a bye week before finishing out their season against Fillmore and then Morro Bay.

”I think these next two games will be a big test at how far we've come,“ said Dickinson. ”These kids, at this age, they think they're only as good as their last game.“

Pioneer's last game is now an overwhelming victory.

JV Football

PVHS 14, St. Joseph 8

The Panthers junior varsity team picked up its third victory as Eric Silvas scored the game-winning touchdown on an eight-yard run with 3:33 left.

Martin Ruiz added the two-point conversion on a run and then Andres Montiel snagged an interception on St. Joseph's final possession to seal it.

After St. Joseph took an early 8-0 edge, Pioneer Valley (3-2) came within 8-6 on Fabian Palacios' one-yard touchdown run.

Pioneer Valley, which will play Lompoc next week, also got standout games from receiver/safety Coulter Souza, cornerback Jaime Cardenas and defensive tackle Kevin Agulyus.

Oct. 15, 2005