Joe Lara hustles into the end zone for one of his seven touchdowns. Photo courtesy of Tom Santillan

 

JACKSON, CA (MPG) - The Liberty Ranch Hawks traveled to the Mother Lode on Friday night and left no doubt about who runs the Sierra Valley Conference, defeating the Argonaut Mustangs 55-35 on the road to remain unbeaten. The win moves the Hawks to 7-0 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in league play.

Some nights belong to one player, and Friday belonged to Joe Lara. The senior running back was, quite simply, unstoppable. Lara carried the ball 18 times for 239 yards — a staggering 13.3 yards per carry — and found the end zone six times on the ground. As if that were not enough, he added two receptions for 100 yards, including an 82-yard catch-and-run for a seventh touchdown. All told, Lara piled up 339 all-purpose yards and accounted for 42 of his team’s points, a performance that will be talked about in Galt for a long time.

“We play as one team not 11 players. When it is time to go to war on that field, we all do ATC — Assignment, Technique, and Complete — and when we do that good things happen,” said senior lineman Cutler Perez.

The Hawk line busy at work. Photo courtesy of Tom Santillan

Lara wasn’t alone. Senior Andrew Quinn matched him with 18 carries, grinding out 140 yards and a touchdown of his own, giving the Hawks a punishing one-two punch out of the backfield. Through the air, senior Ryan Ogas was perfect — completing both of his pass attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown, good for a 177.1 quarterback rating. Liberty Ranch’s 406 rushing yards as a team told the story of a game controlled at the line of scrimmage.

And that line deserved much of the credit. The Hawks’ offensive front racked up 43 pancake blocks, led by senior Jayden Sedlacek’s 12 and senior Cutler Perez’s eight. It was the kind of dominant, unselfish play up front that turns good runs into great ones.

The defense did its part. Liberty Ranch finished with 62 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and a sack, while forcing five fumble recoveries. Senior Enzo Diaz led the way with 11 tackles (five solo) to go with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Senior Wyatt Corriea added 12 stops, senior Andrew Quinn chipped in seven tackles – two tackles for loss – and a sack, and junior Jack Rowe recorded seven tackles and a fumble recovery. Ogas, Dixon, and Trosko each pounced on a loose ball as the Hawks swarmed to the football all night.

Andrew Quin stiff arms an Argonaut defender. Photo courtesy of Tom Santillan

Special teams were steady. Senior Hunter Owen handled the kicking duties, booting nine kickoffs for 265 yards and converting seven of eight extra points. Quinn added a 45-yard punt when called upon, while Diaz (four returns, 57 yards) and Rowe (two returns, 45 yards) gave the Hawks solid field position in the return game.

“We knew that Argonaut was going to be a tough opponent, and they gave us another good test. We made some mistakes that we will get corrected, and I know the boys will be prepared to compete this Friday at El Dorado,” said head coach Warren Schroeder.

At 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Sierra Valley Conference, the Hawks have positioned themselves as one of the teams to beat. But the schedule doesn’t get any easier: Liberty Ranch returns to action Friday at El Dorado, where the Hawks will look to keep their perfect season rolling. With Lara running like this and a defense flying to the ball, Liberty Ranch looks every bit the contender.