Terra Linda 27, Mt. Eden 7
The Star: Dylan Shapiro rushed for two touchdowns — including a 27-yard sprint on his first carry. He finished with 95 yards on nine carries.
The Turning Point: The Trojans took a 14-7 lead with 1:19 remaining in the first half and never looked backed. They added 13 more points in the second half and held Mt. Eden to a miniscule 43 yards of offense.
The Quote: "The o-line was great and we made plays when we need too," said quarterback Jake Toll-McKillop. "It was great to see the running backs do well."
What's Next: Terra Linda will play Sonoma next Friday in Sonoma.
Bottom line: The Trojans had little trouble in defeating Mt. Eden. They cashed in on a Monarch interception and slowly ran down the clock with their improved running attack.
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Many followers of Terra Linda High football are well aware of the difficulty its team has endured trying to find a balance between its running and passing attacks.
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At times, running the ball wasn't an option as the passing game flourished. However, in its season-opener Friday, the running game took control.
Terra Linda brought out its running shoes and used them to amass 193 rushing yards in a 27-7 win against host Mt. Eden.
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"It was a nice effort overall," said coach Tim Bosque. "It's just one game, but its something we hope to maintain all season."
Last year, the number of passing plays would have greatly outnumbered the running plays. On Friday, it was just the opposite as Terra Linda ran the ball 33 times to just 15 passing plays.
Running backs Dylan Shapiro and Cody Ohmart factored in on all four touchdowns. Shapiro's both came on the ground, while Ohmart caught one and ran for pay dirt.
Shapiro led the ground attack. Intially, it appeared the offense would squander great field position. Defensive back Jack Cullen's interception put the Trojans on the Mt. Eden 32-yard line. But the offense only managed five yards after that.
On fourth-and-five, Shapiro gave his team the early 7-0 advantage with his 27-yard touchdown run down the left sideline. Shapiro finished with 95 yards on nine carries.
After Mt. Eden tied the score on a 20-yard touchdown pass, the Trojan passing attack answered right back. Quarterback Jack Toll-Mckillop found tight end Jon Millsap twice on the drive for 28 yards before capping it with a 14-yard strike to running back Cody Ohmart.
Although Toll-Mckillop's raw numbers may not be that impressive (7-of-15 for 91 yards and one touchdown), Ohmart credits him for making the play when it counted.
"He'll have a little less pressure on him this year," said Ohmart. "If he can make plays here and there, we can be good."
Shapiro, as he did to begin the game, struck first in the third. This run would go far 10 yards and increase the Trojan lead to 21-7.
"The running game was just outstanding (Friday)," said Toll-Mckillop. "It's going to be fun knowing that we don't have to pass on every down."
Ohmart added a five yard touchdown run in the fourh to make it 27-7. Lucas Silviera also had an interception.
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Terra Linda 27, Mt Eden 7
Terra Linda 7 7 7 6 — 27
Mt Eden 0 7 0 0 — 7
Scoring Summary
3:59, 1st: Shapiro 27 run (Toll-McKillop kick)
4:57, 2nd: #8 pass (#64 kick)
1:19, 2nd: Ohmart 14 pass (Toll-McKillop kick)
5:57, 3rd: Shapiro 10 run, (Toll-McKillop kick)
5:26, Ohmart 5 run (2-point failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushing (car-yards): TL -Ohmart 8-44, Shapiro 9-95, Ogans 7-30, Toll-Mckillop 2-14, Paraetchan 1-3, Cullen 3-7
Passing (comp-att-yds-int): TL — Toll-Mckillop 7-15-91-0
Receiving (rec-yards): TL-Ohmart 2-18, Charlton 1-15, Norman 1-30, Millsap 2-28
Team Offense (rush-pass-total)
Terra Linda -193-91-284
Fumbles/Lost: TL 1/1, Mt. 4/1
Records: Terra Linda 1-0; Mt. Eden 0-1
