Melendez leads Woodcreek Timberwolves to 2-0 start with win over Whitney
Some call him Josiah. Some call him Joey. If he keeps playing this way, just call him a winner.
Woodcreek quarterback Josiah Melendez has worked hard to get back to where he is. His junior season was shortened after suffering a broken collarbone in the fourth game of the season.
“It sucked. It really did suck to be on that sideline instead of out there with your brothers helping them out,” Melendez said. “It was depressing.”
Back for his senior year and assuming the starting role for the upstart Timberwolves of Roseville, Melendez is on a mission to lead Woodcreek on another deep postseason run. He’s gone from broken collarbone and limited action as a junior to benching up near 300 pounds in the weight room.
“He’s the strongest kid on our team,” said Woodcreek head coach Kyle Stowers. “Losing a good chunk of his junior year made him aware of just how important this is to him. You’ve only got one shot at senior year.”
Melendez shined for Woodcreek on Friday night in a Placer County matchup at Whitney High School, going 17-for-22 with 258 passing yards and a touchdown plus 10 runs for 51 yards and two more scores on the ground as the Timberwolves cruised to a 37-20 win and a 2-0 start to 2025.
“Don’t sleep on the ‘Creek,” said Melendez, as Woodcreek now owns victories over two Sierra Foothill League teams to begin the year after a 38-13 win over Jesuit in the season opener.
Blake Hastings ran 24 times for 135 yards and Ethan Keim caught six passes for 131 yards to complement the Timberwolves’ attack.
Woodcreek head coach Kyle Stowers is back on the sidelines. After being the co-head coach of the Timberwolves with Brad Hunkins from 2015–18, Stowers took some time to coach his young children at the youth levels and be around the family more. With his oldest son becoming an incoming freshman, the opportunity to step back into varsity coaching was too good to pass up.
“I can do what I’m meant to do: coach high school football and teach,” Stowers said. “This team understands the standard of what we’re trying to do, so when you have a group that likes each other and enjoys the game, it allows the practices to be so much easier. It’s not a job because you enjoy what you’re doing.”
Both teams were coming off huge opening-week victories, including Whitney outlasting a stout West Park team 17-13 on the road.
While Whitney got off to a hot start with sophomore Easton Tarble returning the opening kick 43 yards to midfield, quarterback Carson Floyd punctuated the opening drive with a 28-yard scramble for a score on fourth-and-long, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
Woodcreek answered with a scoring drive of its own, capped by a 10-yard run from its QB, Melendez, to knot the score at 7-7 before the end of the first quarter. On the Timberwolves’ first drive of the second quarter, Melendez hit Keim for a 55-yard hookup inside the Whitney 10.
Melendez then ran for his second TD of the night from 5 yards out to lift Woodcreek to a 14-7 lead. Brody Simpson added a 27-yard field goal to extend Woodcreek’s lead to 17-7 with 3:28 left in the half.
Tarble helped ignite a Whitney drive with another long kick return across midfield. Floyd found Cash Stevens for a 10-yard scoring connection to shrink the gap to 17-14 with two minutes left in the half — plenty of time for Woodcreek to march down and score once more before the break. Melendez hit Trace Murchison for a 6-yard score to give Woodcreek a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Melendez again hit Murchison for an 18-yard score to open the third before Whitney answered with a 2-yard score from Jason Taormino to make it 31-20 after three.
Offensive lineman Jasper Liggins punched one in on a bunch formation in the fourth to cap the scoring at 37-20.
Woodcreek has a bye next week before resuming play with the annual Junction Bowl rivalry game vs. Roseville. Whitney hosts reigning NorCal champion Twelve Bridges next Friday.
