DHS Football: Rams Toppled by Winters 21-12

The football team played its best football of the season against Winters, but it wasn’t enough for win No. 1 in 2011.

The Rams couldn't make a halftime shutout of the Warriors stick, allowing three touchdowns in the second half of a 21-12 tough loss Friday night at Finney Field.

Dixon coach Wes Besseghini felt that a lack of execution cost his team in the end.

"I feel like we are still struggling with consistency," he said. "They are not doing their job consistently and that’s the difference."

The halftime break turned out to be a total switch for both teams. The Rams went into the locker room with a 6-0 lead after Marcos Pangelinan found Bryan Hollowell for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds left in the second quarter.

After receiving the third quarter kickoff, the Dixon offense stalled, going three-and-out on three-straight drives. In the first 12 plays to start the second half, Pangelinan threw seven incompletions, four of which were dropped or mishandled at the fingertips of wide receiver A.J. Bell.

All three of Dixon punter’s Geraldo De La Cruz punts traveled 20 yards or less, including a five-yarder. The offensive and special teams infutility resulted in Winters putting 14 unanswered points on the scoreboard.

The offensive and special teams infutility resulted in Winters putting 14 unanswered points on the scoreboard.

The Warriors scored two of their three second half touchdowns via the excellent field position given to them by the Rams and repeatedly calling a dynamic play that Dixon couldn’t stop.

Winters used wide receiver Trevor Wright on four end-arounds in eight plays to set up the Warriors go-ahead scores. Wright averaged 12.8 yards per carry during Winter’s two third quarter scoring drives, and placed his team in the red zone with runs of 15 and 20 yards in separate drives. Wright sprinted in from eight yards out to put his team on the board 7-0 and from 10 yards on the following drive to give them a 14-6 lead. 

Bell and Pangelinan, however, would bring the Rams back. Pangelinan connected with Bell, who shook two defenders and outsprinted another 40 yards after the initial catch for a 58-yard touchdown to make it just a two-point deficit 14-12.  

On the ensuing drive, Winters drove 61 yards in less than three minutes to cushion its lead. The Warriors would make it a two-score game when Nick Mariani rushed in for an eight yard touchdown to make it 21-12.

Pangelinan then responded with a long drive of his own, marching Dixon 46 yards in 10 plays and reaching the Warriors 10-yard line before being intercepted in the back of the endzone by Kendric Moore, who essentially sealed the game for Winters.

“This is a though one,” Besseghini said.   

The road doesn’t get easier for Dixon, which visits defending Division III state champion Escalon next Friday at 7:30 p.m. Escalon defeated Patterson 7-0 on Friday night.

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Winters 21, Dixon 12

Winters 0 0 14 7 — 21
Dixon 0 6 6 0 — 12

Scoring summary
0:27, 2nd: D — Hollowell 11 pass from Pangelinan (kick failed)

4:57, 3rd: W — Wright 8 run (Herrera kick)

3:41, 3rd: W — Wright 10 run (Herrera kick)

1:10, 3rd: D — Bell 58 pass from Pangelinan (pass failed)

10:29, 3rd: W — Mariani 8 run (Herrera kick)

Individual Statistics

Rushing (car-yards): W — Mariani 19-100, Lucero 17-67, Roberts 1-3, Wright 5-64, Mayes 2-14, Nichols 1-7. D — Hall 8-35, Pangelinan 7-51, Bonovich 6-40, Roscoe 1-0, Semeraro 3-10.
Passing (comp-att-yards-ints): W — Mariani 4-11-17-0. D — Pangelinan 6-18-97-1.
Receiving (rec-yards): W — Moore 3-16, Roberts 1-1. D — Hall 1-4, Hollowell 2-26, Bell 3-67.

Team offense (rush-pass-total)

Winters — 255-17-272

Dixon — 136-97-233

Fumbles/lost: W — 1/1; D — 1/1.

Records: Winters 2-1, Dixon 0-3