Boulder City High School football advanced to 2-0 on the season, defeating Mater East 22-13 on Sept. 8.
Ahead 14-7 midway through the third quarter, junior quarterback Gage Hopkinson found junior Easton Welbourne for a 25-yard touchdown pass to put the game out of reach.
“It was a weird game,” head coach Bubba Mariani said. “I don’t think we played bad at all, but obviously we would like to play better. It was a weird environment, the kids were flat, the crowd was flat, it almost felt like a bad dream. To come away with a win was really good.”
Mistake-prone at times, the Eagles turned the ball over on three occasions, but ultimately found a way to get the job done.
“Obviously we want to take care of the ball,” Mariani said. “I believe it was just an off night. I’m glad we were able to make big plays when we needed them.”
Playing the role of dual-threat, Hopkinson completed 13 of 25 passing for 129 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while adding 57 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
Welbourne caught five passes for 50 yards and a score, while senior Derek Render caught three passes for 29 yards.
Running wild against Mater East, senior Chase Jappe played the role of hero, rushing for 68 yards and two scores on 11 attempts, while catching four passes for 32 yards.
“Chase was patient tonight and saw the holes open up,” Mariani said. “He runs hard and is a solid running back.”
Playing the role of hero on defense, Render made three interceptions on the night with four tackles.
“I think Derek will have many breakout games like that in our free safety role,” Mariani. “He’s such a student of the game. He knows where to be at the right times and he uses that to his advantage.”
Getting consistent pressure on the quarterback, juniors Cooley Campbell (seven tackles) and Sam Bonar (two tackles) and senior Josh Kingma (two tackles) each recorded a sack, while junior Aiden Cherney snagged an interception.
Jappe made seven tackles on the night with a forced fumble, while Brady Sorenson made six tackles.
Looking to keep the winning streak going, the Eagles will travel to The Meadows tonight.
Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.