Football: Dublin Showcases Stadium, Talented Sophomore In Inaugural Event

For the Dublin High football team, Saturday's 44-36 loss to Galt in the inaugural Far West Showcase was a glimpse into the future.

Not so much in the result, but in what was on display.

In hosting the four-game event, the Gaels were able to showcase their beautiful football stadium which rivals any in Northern California.

"As far as we're concerned, we have the best facility in the Bay Area," Dublin football coach Casey Moreno said. "(Athletic Director) Shawn McHugh and I have talked about hosting something like this for awhile now. We have the venue, so we put our feelers out and there was considerable interest."

Acalanes opened what was billed as a "football extravaganza" with a 10-6 win against Hayward in the first game and was followed by Granite Bay's 31-28 win against Oakdale in a meeting of San Joaquin Section powers.

Miramonte took game No. 3 with a 35-21 victory against Fortuna before the Gaels and Galt hit the field in the finale.

For the most part, Moreno was happy with how the inaugural event turned out.

"We hoped for a better crowd, but I think all the fans that came got their money's worth," he said.

While the day served as an introduction to Dublin's facilities to several fans, Gaels' sophomore Ondre Rudolph took the opportunity to introduce himself to the home fans with an electrifying performance.

The running back ran for 127 yards on 22 carries and scored on runs of 20 and 16 yards.

"You're talking about a kid who is very, very special," Moreno said. "Not just as a football player, but as a human being. He's a great kid who works his absolute butt off. He wants to learn, he asks questions, he's competitive. He's everything you want in a sophomore playing a varsity sport."

Rudolph was part of an undefeated league champion freshman football team a year ago and based on Saturday's performance and Moreno's high-praise, big things are expected. He ran for 30 yards on eight carries in Dublin's 48-7 loss to Northgate on Sept. 3.

The teams traded scores for most of the first half before Galt's touchdown and two-point conversion with two minutes, 23 seconds left in the first half gave the Warriors a 36-28 lead.

In the half, the teams combined for 496 yards of offense as Rudolph (95 yards) and Galt's Haran Piggee (131 receiving, 65 rushing) put on a show. The Gaels also received big first-halves from Michal Thomas (61 yards rushing) and Ronnie Deguzman (53 yards rushing).

The fireworks display fizzled in the second half when both defenses made adjustments.

"I can't pinpoint what it really was other than the defenses playing better in the second half," Moreno said. "Our D really stepped it up."

Galt (1-1) took a 44-28 lead with 8:36 left in the game, but the Gaels (0-2) cut the deficit to 44-36 with 3:12 left. Quarterback Ed Achziger connected with Tyree Owens from two yards out for a touchdown and found Owens again on the two-point conversion. 

After the 14-play, 72-yard scoring drive, Dublin recovered the onside kick, but failed to convert a first down after getting the ball back.

Dublin will head to Livermore High on Friday for a Tri-Valley battle between a pair of run-heavy offenses. 

"It'll be a smash-mouth game between two teams that like to run," Moreno said. "We're natural rivals just being down the street from each other and we pride ourselves in that we're physical as the other Tri-Valley teams. We need to prove we can play with the big boys."

Under the direction of first-year coach Greg Haubner, who previously served as the head junior varsity coach at Foothill, Livermore beat Liberty 20-13 in its season-opener at home on Friday.

The Cowboys have switched to an option-offense similar to the ones run by Navy and Georgia Tech in the college ranks and have a talented junior running back in Demariay Drew.

For live updates from Friday's game against Livermore, follow Patch Sports East Bay on Twitter or visit www.twitter.com/patchsportseb during the game, which starts at 7 p.m.

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More Patch East Bay Football Coverage

Friday Sept. 10

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

Campolindo 35, Mt. Eden 14. By Kyle Yamamoto

Encinal 59, El Cerrito 20. By Jordan Conn

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

Berean Christian 45, St. Helena 7. By Peter Fournier

Northgate 70, Tennyson 18. By Jim Mannion

Vallejo 42, Albany 24. By Patrick Creaven

Concord 36, Amador Valley 23. By Eric Gilmore

Saturday Sept. 11

Acalanes 10, Hayward 6. By Kyle Bonagura

Bishop O'Dowd 59, Alameda 10. By Matt Rempel

By Jim Mannion