Rocklin takes an electric win as Thunder stops No. 2 Oak Ridge
On the final drive of Friday night’s high school football school game between No. 2 Oak Ridge and No. 6 Rocklin, the crowd could probably have been heard from miles away.
Rocklin’s student section was loud and parents were on their feet, too, because there were high stakes , as Rocklin nursed a six-point lead with less than a minute to play. For the second week in a row, Oak Ridge tried to engineer a game-winning drive in the waning moments. But 6-foot-2 linebacker Cian Slone made an interception to preserve Rocklin’s 28-22 victory on homecoming night.
And then the place really got loud.
“That crowd was a major factor” Rocklin coach Jason Adams said with a smile. “I know our kids could feel the energy in the stands. They helped us get this victory tonight.”
Slone’s interception meant so much more because what led to that moment. One of his childhood best friends and fellow linebacker Nolan O’Harran went down with an apparent shoulder injury in the third quarter that sidelined him for the rest of the game, prompting an immediate visit to the hospital. After the game, Nolan’s dad Brock, Facetimed his son at the hospital so he could celebrate with his team.
“Nolan has a soft spot in my heart,” Slone said. “Seeing him go down was tough and it hit me pretty deep. When I caught it and went out of bounds, the first thing I thought of was that one is for Nolan.”
After a 2-8 campaign in 2018, the Thunder are roaring at 5-1, including a 3-0 mark at home. Before Jason Adams took over as head coach, he was the defensive coordinator for Greg Benzel, the former longtime coach of the program. After the game, the two embraced.
“Coach Benzel built this program for us,” Adams said. “He gave me a chance to coach 17 years ago and I’m thankful for that. He was a big part of tonight’s victory.”
Rocklin quarterback Richie Watts also got the crowd roaring with big plays. He finished with 203 passing yards and 25 rushing yards, including a 1-yard touchdown sneak. Watts has a variety of weapons around him, including receivers Grayson Barnes, Mason Becker, Toran O’Harran and Jaylen Pickens. And when they feel like running the ball, the Thunder use Cole Douglas, Nolan O’Harran and Tanner Gomes. Gomes finished with touchdown runs of 2 and 21 yards.
“A lot of our guys stepped up big tonight,” Adams said. “Richie made really good reads tonight to get our players the ball. We have a lot of weapons on offense.”
Rocklin kicker Cole Becker was also a factor, booting three field goals. Woody Brennan also had a monster punt to pin Oak Ridge deep on its final drive.
Don’t forget about the guys doing the dirty work. The offensive line made up of Zach Beard, Daniel Bracone, Cole Gustafson, Ryan Montano and Bobby Piland opened holes for Rocklin’s playmakers and allowed no sacks, while the defensive line got to Oak Ridge quarterback Justin Lamson four times.
Despite being chased around by a tenacious Thunder defense, Lamson made plays to keep his team in it. He finished with 233 yards passing and rushed for 64 more. Lamson also had a 21-yard touchdown strike to Evan Robinson and another 24-yarder to Avant Jacobs.
Oak Ridge lost a 36-33 heartbreaker to No. 1 Folsom last week to open SFL play and is 3-2 overall. It will play Grant next, while Rocklin takes it 2-0 league record into Folsom.
“Everyone looks for the type of competition the SFL brings,” Adams said. “Our team embraces the opportunity to play those teams.”