Football: El Cerrito Manhandled By Encinal

Encinal 59, El Cerrito 20

The star: Encinal's offensive line, which paved the way for the Jets to rush for 427 yards, including touchdown runs by five different players.

The turning point: The first three minutes, when the Jets scored two quick touchdowns to give themselves a lead they would never relinquish.

The quote: "We just have to hope that these losses fuel our success." — El Cerrito coach Kenny Kahn.

What's next: The Gauchos travel to Moraga next Friday night to play Campolindo.

Bottom line: El Cerrito's rushing defense, which was supposed to be a team strength, will need to step up for the Gauchos to match the success they had in 2009, when they won seven games and reached the playoffs.

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Well, at least El Cerrito hasn't given up a passing yard.

The Gauchos have, however, been gashed, bullied and manhandled for two consecutive weeks by potent running attacks. One week after Kennedy ran all over them, the Gauchos allowed 427 yards in a 59-20 loss at Encinal on Friday. In both of El Cerrito's games the team's opponent hasn't completed a single pass.

But in both games, they haven't needed to.

"They only ran like five or six plays, and they worked every time," El Cerrito coach Kenny Kahn said of Encinal. "They have their bread-and-butter, and they kept going back to it."

The Jets were playing without their starting quarterback, who was injured, and without their backup, a transfer who is not yet eligible to play. But with third- and fourth-stringers splitting the quarterbacking duties, they handed the ball off a deep stable of running backs that bulldozed the Gauchos' defense all night long.

"Our tackling has to get better," said El Cerrito's James Slater. "That's it. Tackling."

Encinal scored a touchdown on its second play from scrimmage, and then scored quickly again on its next possession. Less than three minutes into the game, the Jets had a 14-0 advantage. 

They never looked back.

El Cerrito made first-half plays on offense and special teams — even drawing to within a touchdown early in the second quarter — but the Gauchos could never string together enough stops to give their offense a chance to stay in the game.

"We knew they had good athletes," said Encinal coach Joe Tenorio of El Cerrito. "We knew they could make plays, but we did a good job of moving the ball and scoring points."

Despite the loss, Kahn was pleased with his team's offensive performance. Encinal only allowed 20 points or more in four of its 14 games last season. The Gauchos offense showed big-play capabilities early, as Byron Thomas hit Kris Jackson with a 42-yard touchdown pass immediately following Encinal's second touchdown.

"I never doubt my quarterback," Kahn said. "The kid can throw that rock. We dropped some passes and let him down at times, but he was solid."

In all, Thomas completed 13-of-26 passes for 126 yards. Slater led the team in rushing with 59 yards on five carries, including a 55-yard rush in the second quarter that set up a Lyonel Louis touchdown run. Slater also made the night's biggest play, returning a second-quarter kickoff for a 91-yard touchdown.

"I just did what I do," Slater said of the return. "That's all there is to it."

But the Gauchos couldn't keep up, as Encinal scored 40 first-half points and tacked on three second-half touchdowns for good measure. It was a dominant performance, and it left Kahn hoping his team would learn something from the guy's on the other sideline.

"Even one of our players said, 'You can't coach heart,' and they've got a lot of it," Kahn said of Encinal. "They're disciplined, and they're focused, and they play hard."

"It's still preseason, and we're still working through some things. We just have to hope that these losses fuel our success."

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Encinal 59, El Cerrito 20

El Cerrito 7 13 0 0 — 20

Encinal 20 20 6 13 — 59

Scoring summary

11:21, 1st: EN — Paul Okamura 5 run (Jon Trodder kick)

9:03, 1st: EN — Jonathan Allen 22 run (Trodder kick)

8:40, 1st: EC — Kris Jackson 42 pass from Byron Thomas (Kevin Smith kick)

3:43, 1st: EN — Mustafa Whitehead 34 run (kick failed)

9:57, 2nd: EC — Lyonel Louis 1 run (Smith kick)

7:00, 2nd: EN — Allen 10 run (Trodder kick)

6:46, 2nd: EC — James Slater 91 kickoff return (kick failed)

4:37, 2nd: EN — Allen 25 run (kick failed)

1:24, 2nd: EN — Allen 15 run (Trodder kick)

5:31, 3rd: EN — Trodder 89 run (kick failed)

0:16, 3rd: EN — Allen 34 run (Trodder kick)

7:28, 4th: EN — Nahim Paschal 46 run (kick failed)

Individual statistics

Rushing (car-yards): EN — Allen 15-196, Trodder 6-125, Paschal 6-54, Whitehead 1-34; EC — Slater 5-59, Desmond Lott 9-22.

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): EN — Bo Banks 0-1-0-0, Joe Gill 0-1-0-0; EC — Thomas 13-26-126-1, Jorden Webster 1-8-21.

Receiving (rec-yards): EC — Rovante Burgen 5-52, Jackson 3-50.

Team offense (rush-pass-total)

El Cerrito — 65-128-193

Encinal — 427-0-427

Records: Encinal 1-0, El Cerrito 0-2.

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More Patch East Bay Football Coverage — Week 1

San Ramon Valley 16, Mitty-San Jose 13. By Kyle Bonagura

Campolindo 35, Mt. Eden 14. By Kyle Yamamoto

Marin Catholic 20, Las Lomas 8. By Richard Paolinelli

Serra-San Mateo 28, Monte Vista 21. By Jim Mannion

Dougherty Valley 31, Kennedy-Fremont 13. By Bill Soliday

Foothill 37, Novato 12. By Steve R. Waterhouse

Cal 45, College Park 3. By Adam Berke