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WaveNewspapers.com: Roosevelt hopes not to get flagged down
Wilson High School quarterback Jonathan Rojas prepares to unleash a pass as Roosevelt defensive lineman Salvador Romero closes in. Roosevelt escaped with a 21-20 victory.
By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 18.SEP.
08
Cutting down the number of penalties will be the priority of Roosevelt High School’s football coaching staff this week.
The Rough Riders, who have a nonleague game at Contreras Friday, need to eliminate some of the infractions that plagued them in a 41-0 loss to Torrey Pines and 21-20 victory over Wilson the first two weeks of the season.
Considering the lopsided nature of the Torrey Pines game, other factors besides penalties contributed to that outcome. But the mistakes probably prevented them from winning by a bigger margin against Wilson.
“We had at least three drives stopped by penalties,” Roosevelt coach Javier Cid said of the Wilson game. “We need to minimize our mistakes. We’re never going to be perfect, but we should have scored at least three more touchdowns.
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Despite the mistakes, the Rough Riders wiped out a 20-7 first-half deficit to record the win.
Senior quarterback Jesse Diaz (13 of 23 for 148 yards, 10 carries for 80 yards) did a solid job of running and passing and scored a touchdown on a 15-yard dash.
Sophomore Jesse Lira’s two-yard run and Jonathan Alatriste’s conversion also contributed to the victory. Lira’s 25-yard pass to Manny Ayon (six catches for 89 yards) set up the score. Alex Ramirez scored the first Roosevelt touchdown on a one-yard run.
Defensively, the Rough Riders clamped down on Wilson in the second half, putting special emphasis on Mules wide receiver Anthony Denham.
Denham caught a 45-yard scoring pass in the first half to contribute to Wilson’s lead. In the second half, Ayon was put on him and Denham did not catch a pass after the break.
The defense played well, even though two starting linebackers were sidelined by injuries and middle backer Rafael Ortega was playing despite a sore ankle.
“We’re kind of inexperienced and banged up on defense right now,” Cid said.
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