The Summerville High School varsity football team defeated the Johnson Warriors handily Friday night in the Bears’ final non-league contest.
The Warriors received the opening kickoff, and were quickly hurried off the field by the Bears defense, forcing a quick three-and-out on the opening drive.
Summerville set up on the ball on their own 48-yard line, and a handoff from senior quarterback Bryce Leveroos to Orlando Lopez resulted in a 52-yard touchdown run on the Bears’ very first offensive play of the game.
The Bears were versatile, fast and too much of a match for the Warriors from the onset. Following another turnover on downs for Johnson, the Bears took possession deep into Warriors territory and junior two-way threat Malakai Lopez punched the ball in for Summerville’s second touchdown of the evening.
Senior linebacker Luke Larson was a force to be reckoned with during the first half of the game, accruing seven tackles and returning an interception 13 yards to the house for a Summerville touchdown.
The Bears rushing attack continued to prove effective, and Orlando Lopez continued to rack up large sums of yardage in just a handful of carries. He added another touchdown to the board from 42 yards out, and with nine minutes left in the first half, the Bears were up 28-0.
Just a few drives later, sophomore Clavey Duncan took the ball from Leveroos and broke several tackles on his way to a 50-yard touchdown.
Summerville’s defense stifled any and all Johnson drives, and the Warriors weren’t able to move the ball past the 50-yard line until late in the second quarter.
The Bears’ defensive line gave little ground. The big men up front were anchored by senior defensive tackle Gabe Rafferty, who found his way in the backfield on numerous occasions and recorded three sacks on the evening.
Having less-than-fruitful results with the ground game, the Warriors attempted to take to the air in an effort to get their stagnant offense moving. However, the ballhawking secondary of Summerville was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to assert themselves into the narrative of the game.
In addition to Larson’s pick-6 in the first quarter, the Bears intercepted three more passes throughout the evening. Duncan, senior outside linebacker Jeven Rodgers and junior inside linebacker Robert Nikiforuk added their names to the takeaways column.
With just over a minute left in the first half, Leveroos called his own number, broke through the middle, and took the ball 30 yards on the ground to the end zone. The Warriors blocked the PAT, and the first half ended 48-0 with a Bears victory all but secured.
The Bears induced a running clock in the second half, and after adding another 10 points to the scoreboard, they ran out the remainder of the clock and were victorious, 58-0.
Summerville is now 2-1 on the season as they prepare for their first Mother Lode League matchup of the season against Bret Harte next Friday for homecoming at Thorsted Field in Tuolumne.
Offensive Player of the Game:
Orlando Lopez – 7 carries, 121 yards, 3 touchdowns
Defensive Player of the Game:
Luke Larson – 7 tackles, 1 interception (TD)
Contact Travis Bradley at tbradley@uniondemocrat.net or (209) 588-4526. Follow him on X at @howaboutTravis