The Merced High football team quickly seized control of Santa Fe Bowl 45 against Atwater with a stifling defense and an explosive offense. At one point, the Bears scored touchdowns on three consecutive offensive plays on their way to a 49-14 victory over the Falcons at Cathie Hostetler Stadium on Friday night. The win clinches at least a share of a third consecutive Central California Conference championship for the Bears, who improved to 9-0 on the season over 4-0 in the CCC.

 

“These are hard to get, it's not easy,” said Merced head coach Rob Scheidt. “I'm very thankful for this team and to be 9-0, that's not easy. That’s also hard to get. There were a lot of close games that we had that our guys had to find ways to win.”

 

The Bears were dominant on Friday night, needing just 16 plays on offense to rack up 304 yards and 42 points in the first half as they took a 42-0 lead into intermission. It happened fast with running back Dougie Andrews scoring on a 15-yard run to give Merced a 7-0 lead with 5:26 left in the first quarter. Andrews rushed for 98 yards and two scores on just six carries.

 

After the Bears defense forced a punt, Merced scored on its next play from scrimmage as quarterback Vicente Cortez connected with receiver Israel Rodas on a 61-yard touchdown pass. After the Falcons couldn’t handle the ensuing kickoff, Merced’s Anthony Tachiera pounced on the ball at the Atwater 19-yard line. On the Bears’ first play, Cortez kept the ball on a zone-read, scoring on a 19-yard run extending the lead to 21-0 with 2:27 left in the first quarter.

 

“Our guys are just physical because they make plays and they continue to make plays,” Scheidt said. “I thought we had a great defensive scheme and then our offense, to run just 16 plays in the first half and score 42 points. We didn't quite execute like I would like in the second half, but I'm not going let that spoil tonight.”

 

The Bears defense added two turnovers in the first half with both of those coming on interceptions by junior defensive back Isayah Smith. Meanwhile, the Merced offense continued breaking big plays as Christian Jackson scored on a 67 yard touchdown run. Cortez and Rodas connected again on a 47-yard touchdown catch and Brett Parker added a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

 

Rodas finished with 108 yards receiving on just the two catches. After the 47-yard touchdown catch the junior then made the tackle on the kickoff at the Falcons 15-yard line. Rodas says he just likes making plays for his teammates. Smith says when they find ways to get the ball in Rodas’ hands he’s going to make plays. “When Izzy has the ball he’s going to get jiggy with it,” Smith said. “It’s great to see him use his speed.”

 

The Falcons (5-4 overall, 2-2 CCC) managed two second-half touchdowns as Durrell Morrison scored on a 3-yard run and tight end Vinny Valladao hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from A.J. Banks.

 

The Bears now hold a 40-15 edge all time over Atwater in the Santa Fe Bowl rivalry. After the game ended, the Merced players began celebrating the CCC championship. “This is something coach (Scheidt) has been talking about since the summer,” Smith said. “This feels good.” Scheidt said it’s been rewarding to accomplish what they have this year, especially after losing a talented group of seniors last year. 

 

“I think there was a lot of speculation, are these guys any good? And we had some guys transfer,” Scheidt said. “So it was like who's going to score for them?  How are they going to win? How are they  going to run the football? These guys have been a great team all year, so it's been a lot of fun.”

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.