Ground and pound: Union Mine runs Liberty Ranch ragged behind four backs in league opener
In a game heavy on the run, the Union Mine Diamondbacks of El Dorado ran over the Liberty Ranch Hawks of Galt, 49-23, on Friday night in a Sierra Valley Conference opener.
The Diamondbacks made the one-hour trek to Galt and then unleashed their four senior running backs. Quarterback Ethan Herr only needed to throw the ball twice as he mostly handed off to backs who rushed for seven touchdowns. Aiden Goehring started off the scoring and was followed by Brock Buak, Julio Hernandez and Jake Cherrington to push Union Mine’s record to 3-1.
Cherrington missed half of the 2023 season after suffering a ruptured spleen against Dixon. He was leading the team in rushing. Cherrington said he was excited to come back and showed that he hasn’t lost his touch, scoring three times.
“Yeah it was tough the way it ended last year,” Cherrington said. “This year I just want to build up my stats, get some touchdowns, and get some tackles.”
Cherrington also plays defense, a linebacker, as do Buak and Hernandez. Union Mine’s best players go both ways, and as defenders, they had to key on Hawks star back Joseph Brown.
Cherrington and Union Mine coach Brandon Pacheco praised the offensive line.
“Without those guys we can’t make plays like we do,” Cherrington said of his line. “They’re the reason why we can go out and score 49 points against a good defense like we did tonight.”
Those linemen include seniors Conner Henderson, Lincoln Garel and Jordan Haley. This is not a young team, with only two underclassmen on the 33-man roster.
“It’s 11-man football,” Pacheco said. “I know we play a very condensed style but that is why those blockers are so important. Everyone has to play their part, make the blocks, make the plays. Those guys are the reason the run game has been so good.”
Pacheco is in his second season heading the Diamondbacks. He’s one of the youngest head coaches in the state at 25 years old, but he has earned his respect in the league and has plenty of support.
Pacheco has three former high school head coaches on staff in Gregory Horsfall, Taylor Duncan and Kirk Anderson. Anderson was the Diamondbacks head coach two years ago. The staff also includes Dean Duncan, who has been a Sacramento-area football coach since 1984.
The Diamondbacks are coming off a 9-3 season in which they made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs only to lose to storied program Bradshaw Christian.
Liberty Ranch coach Warren Schroeder had plenty to say about Pacheco. The coaches even had a conversation midweek before Friday’s game.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Coach Pacheco,” Schroeder said. “I have a ton of respect for that guy. That program is really special, and we saw it tonight. They can be dominant.”
Brown was coming off a 276-yard, four-touchdown game for Liberty Ranch against Dixon. He found little room to run but he did grab a 46-yard touchdown from Wyatt Blevins and had a 1-yard touchdown rush. Liberty Ranch’s other playmaker is Oscar Romero, who returned a 90-yard kickoff for a touchdown early in the first quarter.
“They have some great runners over there,” Pacheco said of the Hawks. “It’s always worrisome playing them. Coach Schroeder runs a great program and with talent like that you never know how the game is going to go.”
Schroeder said the team was a little off Friday night.
“I am not going to make excuses,” Schroeder said. “Tonight just wasn’t our night. Union Mine has such a similar offensive style as us. It was like playing ourselves on a good day, which is extremely frustrating. We’re just going to get back to work, watch tape, and move on.”
Only two of the seven touchdowns for Union Mine were longer than 6 yards. The only time the Diamondbacks were stopped was a turnover on downs on the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter. The clock wound down as the offense pounded the ground game.
The Diamondbacks have their eyes on a long season as they host Argonaut next week.
“I expect a playoff run out of this team,” Pacheco said. “There’s still things we need to fix and work on, but I’m feeling pretty good about this program.”