High School Sports

‘He’s like Tarzan out there!’: Running back’s five touchdowns leads Casa Roble charge

Casa Roble High School beat El Camino 51-34 on Friday night in a wild CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoff game in Orangevale.

There was a full house of fans watching teams take apart defenses over four quarters. The No. 7-seeded Rams scored a total of seven touchdowns, five from star running back Josh Taylor and the other two from quarterback Jason Lindahl. Taylor rushed for 267 yards in a “man-child effort,” according to coach Chris Horner. Lindahl, the quarterback, went for 97 yards as Casa Roble overwhelmed the No. 10 Eagles.

Horner raved about Taylor, “He ran like a man amongst boys. He’s so strong and powerful. He’s like Tarzan out there. Crazy specimen! He played well and the line blocked extremely well.”

The Rams came into the game hungry after suffering a tough, last-play loss at Dixon that cost the team a chance at a share of another Golden Empire League championship.

Said Lindahl, “I think the whole team, even the sophomores, juniors, and freshmen, all knew this was our (seniors) last game here at home, so we took that personally and everyone played their heart out.”

Lindahl has been solid all season as a passer, runner and leader. He scored on two quarterback sneaks. Horner said “Lindahl is so good, it’s silly.”

“Jason Lindahl was a leader on and off the field. The team came out and played their butts off. We had an awesome week of practice and tonight’s performance showed what preparation gave us. It was awesome!”

He added, “We knew we were going to run the rock. We felt that we can get up on them, out-pace them, and it worked.”

Taylor executed the plan. He was unstoppable, and he gave credit to the offensive line of brothers Jack and Joe Dexter, Ethan Elder, Ben Gumpfer and Cody Wills.

“All I have to say is my line,” he said. “They gave me the holes; they gave me all the opportunities to get those touchdowns. They are the reason I am here tonight. I think this was by far my best performance. Many more to come.”

Casa Roble (6-4) plays at No. 2 Union Mine (8-1) on Friday in El Dorado. J.C. Gill rushed for three touchdowns for El Camino, which finished 4-7.

Division l

Sheldon 36, Turlock 22

St. Mary’s 56, McClatchy 12

Lincoln 56, Chavez 6

Del Oro 28, Enochs 21

Next week

Sheldon at Rocklin

St. Mary’s at Edison

Lincoln-S at Folsom

Del Oro at Jesuit

Division ll

Lodi 38, Downey 19

Whitney 35, Inderkum 0

Elk Grove 56, Gregori 6

Monterey Trail 39, Woodcreek 23

Next week

Lodi at Central Catholic

Whitney at Antelope

Elk Grove at Vacaville

Monterey Trail at Granite Bay

Division lll

Roseville 33, Davis 21

Patterson 38, Burbank 6

Sacramento-Golden Valley, Saturday

Christian Brothers 30, Rodriguez 16

Next week

Roseville at Oakdale

Patterson at Yuba City

Sacramento/Golden Valley at Manteca

Christian Brothers at Lincoln

Division lV

Wood 39, Nevada Union 27

East Union 51, Del Campo 7

Placer 63, West Park 28

Dixon 29, Ponderosa 20

Next week

Wood at Kimball

East Union at Merced

Placer at Vista del Lago

Dixon at Vanden

Division V

Woodland 22, Colfax 19

Ripon 39, Ceres 13

Hilmar 61, Los Banos 27

Casa Roble 51, El Camino 34

Next week

Woodland at Escalon

Ripon at Pioneer

Hilmar at Sonora

Casa Roble at Union Mine

Division Vl

Linden 42, Orestimba 28

Rosemont 49, Delhi 13

Waterford 48, Summerville 25

Liberty Ranch 42, Gustine 19

Next week

Linden at Bradshaw Christian

Rosemont at Hughson

Waterford at Livingston

Liberty Ranch at Argonaut

This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 6:43 AM.

Joe Davidson
The Sacramento Bee
Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.
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