Prep football: Oak Ridge honors lost classmate in win over No. 7 Vacaville

At any high school football game in the student section, you’ll typically find all seniors in the front row — upperclassmen that have paid their dues.

On Friday night in El Dorado Hills, it was different. Oak Ridge High School honored Sophia Torres against Vacaville. She was a classmate who died earlier this month after being hit by a car. She would’ve been an incoming freshman.

Torres’ freshman friends from Vista del Lago, Folsom and Oak Ridge sat in the front row to watch the home team shut out No. 7 Vacaville 62-0. Senior Oak Ridge students flanked the friends. Students wore camouflage shirts with “#toughastorres” on the back.

Sophia’s older sister, Samantha, is a senior at Oak Ridge. She’s a soccer player who is also heavily involved in the student section and school as a whole.

Torres went and helped with the coin toss at midfield before the game and her family was honored at halftime with a jersey. On the back was the number 19, which was Torres’ jersey number when she played club soccer for San Juan.

“It was special for them to have the moment that usual the freshman don’t have,” Torres said. “Seeing the seniors be there and protect them, it really showed how much our school and community loves each other. You normally don’t see that from a student section.”

She added, “Through this I have seen a lot. The community is insane. To see everyone come together and be so supportive, it’s helped me and my family feel the love. It’s very emotional. I miss her a lot. She’s shown a lot of people strength and how to live their lives.”

It was a full-circle moment for her family, who grew up in Vacaville. Mom, Melanie, and father Omir both went to Will C. Wood High School, which is Vacaville’s biggest rival. Omir was a police officer in Vacaville. Oak Ridge raised over $500 in donations for Sophia from the Vacaville side.

Instead of holding a moment of silence before the game, the crowd cheered in honor of Sophia. Oak Ridge set up a memorial fund and scholarship in her name.

“There’s a great community in El Dorado Hills,” Oak Ridge coach Casey Taylor said. “To have that happen where she got hit and passed away. She was going to be a freshman here. Our community rallied together and honored her tonight. Normally there’s a moment of silence but they really wanted to celebrate her. She was in our heart and prayers. We played hard for her.”

Oak Ridge quarterback Maddox Varella added, “(Tonight) shows how tight-knit we are. We are all a family. It doesn’t matter if you’re a football player, student or a soccer player, you show up. If a tragedy happens, we are all here for one another. It was nice for them to show out.”

Varella threw for over 200 yards and had touchdown strikes of 38, 10, 40 and 24 yards in the first half for the seventh-ranked Trojans. Sebastian Sutton, John Hayward, Kaleb Edwards and Dwight Martin lll all hauled in touchdowns.

Oak Ridge senior Jake Hall ran for a 17-yard score and kicker Carson Nichols made all of 11 of his kicks, which included two short field goals. The offensive line of Aidan Beck, Ethan Dasmann, Cade Fair, Bryce Meggers and Zane Roeder allowed the offense to take a 55-0 lead into halftime.

The Trojans defense also stepped up. Collin James had a sack and Martin and Sutton both returned interceptions for touchdowns. Jacob Potter and Hayward both had interceptions as the defense forced four turnovers. Oak Ridge has yet to allow a point in two games.

It’s been a dramatic turnaround for Taylor, who graduated from the school in 1988. Oak Ridge missed the playoffs last season and went 3-7. It’s fueled the resurgence of a storied program.

“Last year was frustrating,” Taylor said. “We have been working hard. … We were all kind of embarrassed from last year. To play two quality teams and perform the way we have, we are really excited for where we are at.”

He added, “There’s not doubt (last year) was tough. I have a lot of pride being an alumni here. I want to put a good product out here. … I have never not made the playoffs. This year is kind of my stamp on the program.”

Oak Ridge (2-0) will have a bye this week and will face Silver Creek of Oregon on Sept. 9. Vacaville (1-1) plays Cardinal Newman at home on Friday.

This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 6:15 AM.