Prep football: Benny and Bo lead Center past Marysville in must-win game
In his last start, Robert O’Brien experienced a maddening night of missed opportunities and a case of the turnover blues in a stunning one-point loss that put his team’s season on the brink.
On Thursday night, on the comforts of the home turf at Bob Eason Field, the tall, lanky quarterback everyone calls “Bo” basked in his bounceback effort, and it likely will resonate for weeks to come.
O’Brien passed for 184 yards and a touchdown, and bruising fullback Benny Tafoya contributed touchdown plunges of 1 and 2 yards to power the Center Cougars past Marysville 20-0 in a Pioneer Valley League contest in Antelope. On senior night, the two who towered the most were “Bo” and Benny, and both vowed to keep this train going.
This victory, the fifth of the season, likely secures yet another Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth for Center. The postseason starts Nov. 4.
O’Brien suffered five turnovers in that loss to Bear River as he filled in for injured starter Bradley Kenny. His first pass against Marysville was intercepted, but he settled down, the team did as well, and the defense allowed little against a Marysville squad that came in having won six of eight contests.
“Feeling fabulous,” O’Brien said, looking equal parts proud and relieved. “You always have to bounce back. It’s what you learn in this game. It’s always my mind set.”
As for the efforts of his fullback, O’Brien offered, “He’s very much a stud.”
The stud thudded forward for 84 yards rushing. None of it was fancy. It was power runs right, left and up the middle. Tafoya’s first score made it 7-0 in the second quarter and his second made it 14-0 with 6:33 to go in the third. O’Brien’s 46-yard touchdown to a wide-open Nathan Nelson sealed it.
“It’s been a weird year,” longtime Center coach Digol JBeily said.”We’ve had injuries. We’ve lost tough games, but this is a strong group of kids.”
The coach was especially pleased for O’Brien, saying, “He bounced back big. He settled down, let the game come to him. He’s a tough kid. He understands that this is a mental game, too. He takes things in football very seriously.”
And on the fullback, the coach added, “He’s been solid, really good. He’s 240 pounds and he runs well.”
Center started the season 3-0, lost 27-21 to Colfax, beat Wheatland 20-0, lost to Twelve Bridges 39-27, lost on a last-play field goal at unbeaten Sutter 23-20 and then suffered the agonizing 15-14 setback at home against Bear River.
Center is 4-1 at home. O’Brien and Tafoya said they thank their coach for keeping this weird season in one piece. Center players look to J’Beily as too important to disappoint, calling him a beloved leader in football and on campus. He was a three-sport star at Center in the late 1980s who has in his coaching time there made football a family feel.
“We love our coach,” said Tafoya, taking pride in the bloody gash that was his right elbow. “It’s all love here. We believe in him and we believe in everyone on this team.”