Elk Grove thunders past upstart Franklin in Delta League opener behind star effort by QB Hale
The Elk Grove Thundering Herd won their Delta League opener in a landslide victory against visiting Franklin 69-22 on Friday night in a Delta League opener, handing the Wildcats their first loss.
After dropping its first two games against Manteca and Downey of Modesto, Elk Grove has put together back-to-back wins, finding a groove in moving to 2-2. Franklin came in at 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 43 points but got a dose of its own medicine.
Senior returner Jeremiah Williams hit a burst downfield during the opening kickoff to set an immediate tone inside the Franklin 20-yard line. The drive ended with a quarterback sneak from senior David Hale, who finished with 17 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Thundering Herd's tricky flex-bone, option offense.
"The kids played with great effort," Elk Grove coach John Heffernan said. "I love the kids' effort and their energy, and they played really hard tonight and took advantage of some opportunities. So we're pleased with that for tonight, and then we'll build on it and try to get ready for next week."
Hale wasn't alone. It was a complete team effort for Elk Grove, savored by every member of the roster. Williams added 81 rushing yards, including a 60-yard touchdown run. Senior Daniel Tejada had two rushing touchdowns while accounting for 76 yards of the team's 513 total rushing yards.
"We run the ball," Heffernan said. "The guys up front tonight, man, they just did a fantastic job getting off the ball, blocking their assignments, making it tough for Franklin to get any penetration."
Defensively, the storied Thundering Herd were sound. Senior defensive lineman Lucan Amituanai forced a fumble in the second quarter that was recovered by Sam Niemeyer, who returned it for a touchdown. Sophomore Lance Lewis helped seal the game with a fourth-quarter interception.
Other scoring contributions included junior Alphonso Moore Jr., with an 8-yard run with 17 seconds left in the first half. Junior Brandon Desouza chipped in with a 42-yard score on his only carry with 1:56 left in the game.
Franklin was led by sophomore Braylon Robinson, who threw three touchdowns — two to sophomore Jovan Harper and one to Caden Bowers, another sophomore.
