Lincoln upsets No. 10 Placer behind five touchdown passes from senior leader
J.T. Willis embodies the role of committed student-athlete at Lincoln High School.
He plays three sports, has a 3.75 GPA and is a captain for the Zebras. And he comes from good stock; his cousin Tommy Turner play the position in 2017 at the Placer County school.
Willis recently went back to distance learning for the remainder of the spring football season to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19 on campus, a sacrifice that paid off for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior. On Friday, he led the charge in Lincoln’s 54-41 win over visiting No. 10 Placer, passing for 242 yards and five touchdowns. Three went to Kyle Remigio, who finished with five catches for 119 yards and also had an 11-yard touchdown on the ground.
“(Doing distance learning) was worth it for sure,” Willis said after the game, smiling from ear to ear with his mask on. “I could’ve missed out on this game if I was still at school, so it was definitely worth it.”
“(This school) means so much to me,” Willis added later. “Just being able to wear this Zebra gear with pride and balling out in every sport I play is an awesome feeling. I have looked up (to the older Lincoln players). With Tommy being my cousin, that’s someone I have looked up to my entire life. He’s been my big time role model football wise.”
The Zebras led 33-27 at the half and 47-34 at the end of the third. Willis’ last touchdown pass to Remigio midway through the fourth quarter put the game away. Lincoln’s offensive line of Cole Alva, Jackson Archuleta, Jackson Daugherty, Nathan Pellegrino and Samuel Polkenhorn didn’t allow a sack and opened holes for Lincoln’s playmakers throughout. Lincoln linebacker Jordan Wagner had the lone sack of the game.
Placer’s Martin Haswell threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns, and Placer all-purpose receiver and running back Zavery Guerra had 145 total yards and three touchdowns to keep the game a thriller. Alejando Prieto had five catches for 135 yards and a pair of scores for the Hillmen.
The topper was the atmosphere. Lincoln and Placer cheerleaders stood and cheered on the sideline. The Lincoln band performed the national anthem and the Lincoln dance team performed at halftime. Each player was allowed four tickets for immediate family members. Each player underwent COVID-19 testing Wednesday without any hiccups. The same couldn’t be said at Roseville and Del Oro. Both had to cancel games this weekend due to a positive test within the program.
“Everyone is looking around and wanting more, but the reality is this has to be enough for right now,” Lincoln coach Chris Bean said. “The fact that our cheerleaders are out there, this is very much about them as it is football and the band. For Lincoln High School to be out on display with our band, our cheer and our football team, that was awesome.”
Bean added, “It’s not just one game at a time, it’s literally one day at a time. If I could count the number of times I have said to separate (to my players) I would be a millionaire. I can’t wait for that normality, but this is the world we live in right now.”
Another storyline was the amount of cramps players on both sides experienced. Multiple players left the game for a few plays because of leg cramping attributed to a lack of preseason.
“We played Colfax about four years ago and that was the last time I saw cramping that bad,” Bean said. “ I would love to say that it was completely unexpected, but you’re in a funky world right now. If you push them too hard physically in practice they will drop like flies. If you don’t push them enough, you see what happens.”
Lincoln is scheduled to travel to Oakmont on Friday. Placer will host Nevada Union on Friday.
“Going to an away (game) with these kids is going to be different because we don’t get a bus,” Bean said. “That will be interesting. Ton of respect for Oakmont coach (Tim) Moore. What a great guy. We get along really well as a league, so it’s fun to see these guys.”