Crusher offense arrives

By MARTY JAMES
Executive Sports Editor

Vintage High School’s Homecoming was a rousing success Friday night at Napa Memorial Stadium, with the Crushers pummeling Hogan-Vallejo, 37-12, to break a two-game losing streak.

In their final nonleague game of the 10-game regular season, the Crushers turned in their best overall effort, with the offense scoring a season high for points and the defense giving up very little running or passing yardage.

Jacob Roscoe ran for two touchdowns and Sean Ryan threw two touchdown passes to lead the offense, which had scoring drives covering 66 yards, 42 yards, 74 yards and 68 yards — marches that had to be pleasing to head coach Billy Smith.

“It’s a good win for Vintage and it’s a good win for us to get ready for league,” said Smith. “We got a lot of players to play tonight. We did a lot of good things. Our passing game and our offense was a lot better.

“But we’ve got to eliminate some undisciplined type of penalties.”

Vintage (2-3) played its best first half of football, jumping in front of Hogan 21-0, as Roscoe scored on a 1-yard run, Dom Pappas caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Ryan, and Roscoe scored from five yards out on a breezy, chilly October evening.

The Crushers didn’t let up. Trevor McLaughlin pulled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Ryan in the third quarter.

The defense — which again was strong against the run — got a third-quarter safety from Mitch Danielsson, who tackled Hogan quarterback David Crockett in the end zone.

Taylor Simone scored Vintage’s final touchdown on a 1-yard run.

“Now we get to turn the page on this and start thinking about Will C. Wood,” said Smith, looking ahead to next week’s Monticello Empire League opener.

The MEL will again qualify three teams for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs, and Vintage would like to taste the postseason for the second straight year.

Roscoe was again a workhorse, rushing for 107 yards on 15 carries.

Vintage had its way with Hogan (1-4 overall), a Division III Solano County Athletic Conference school, dominating the line with a very good blocking surge as 10 runners carried the ball.

The Crushers piled up 271 yards to Hogan’s 64 in the first half, a good sign as the offense had been slow to get going the first four weeks of the season. Vintage came into the game having scored just 43 points in four games.

But the Crushers still had mistakes, suffering three turnovers and being assessed 10 penalties for 95 yards.

Ryan was sharp in the first half, completing 10-of-13 passes for 139 yards. For the game, six players caught passes with Reed Huddleston, Pappas and McLaughlin each making three receptions.

Crockett scored both of Hogan’s touchdowns on running plays. The first was on a 15-yard play.

Pappas and Bryson Daniels broke up passes on consecutive plays for the Vintage defense on Hogan’s second possession to help set the tone.

Cesar Bogarin had a tackle for a 6-yard loss early in the second quarter. Adam Wamsley dropped a ball carrier for a 3-yard loss on the last play of the first half.

Paul Archer intercepted a pass.

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