Team shuts out Fernley Nevada 36-0
By Staff Reports
With a convincing win over the Fernley Nevada Vaqueros 36-0, the Morgan Hill Raiders 12U Black team are the Division 3 Pop Warner Pacific Northwest Regional champions.
The Nov. 17 victory capped off an up and down season in which the Raiders struggled early, going 2-3 before shutting out a top ranked Santa Clara Lions team 34-0 and ending the regular season with a 3-4 record. The Raiders claimed the last spot in the Division 3 playoff bracket and then got hot. They went on to win three consecutive games, outscoring their opponents a combined 82-2.
The Raiders physical and strong defense helped propel them to their regional championship win over Fernley. The Fernley quarterback was sacked six times led by DE Connor Cox with 3.5 sacks followed by LB Carson Jennings with 2.5 sacks. The Vaqueros were forced to punt or stopped on fourth down on all of their drives. After a Fernley interception, cornerback Colt Celano intercepted the Fernley QB on the next play to halt their momentum.
The Raiders offense, helmed by quarterback Connor Cox, scored five touchdowns. Running back Carson Jennings led the team with three rushing touchdowns, along with a game ending rushing touchdown from Mason Maningo. Cox connected with Ryan Rubi on a receiving touchdown in the first half. Asked about the team’s mindset going into the final game Cox said “everybody was locked in and energetic from the start. Once we got on the field and the whistle blew everyone was playing hard, physical football.” After the win Cox added “The feeling after the regional championship was the best feeling I’ve ever felt and I’m always going to remember that moment!”
The local Bay Area Pop Warner playoffs saw the Raiders defeating the Coyote Creek Wildcats 14-2 in the first round and then beating the neighboring Gilroy Browns 32-0 in the Bay Area championship game. When asked about his most memorable game of the season, Jennings said, “the Gilroy Browns semi-final game. We shut them out and they are our cross town rival so it was an extra special day! I love the way we locked in and dominated.” And on making the playoffs after the tough start to the season Jennings added, “where we started from and where we are now is a big difference. Our coaches are really good and made us all believe we could win every game.”
The Raiders season started in August with a full week of conditioning for the 27 players, followed by three weeks of the players learning the playbook and the coaches getting to know the players and their strengths. Joe Maningo, head coach of the 12U Black team, brought a wealth of knowledge and playing experience from his time playing linebacker for the University of California, Berkeley Bears. On his coaching mindset for the team, Maningo said, “the goal for the boys this year was ‘growth,’ and from where we started to how we finished I couldn’t be more proud of how far the boys have come and how they competed all year. They each worked tirelessly on their craft and have developed into some real ball players who play the game the right way: fast, physical, and with relentless effort.”
Maningo was assisted by coaches Spencer Barros, Carlos Valenzuela, Brian Lopez, Christian Smart, Justin Celano, Michelle Carrillo-Farias, and Chris Bergstrom. Toward the end of the season, Maningo and his staff organized informal pot luck BBQs and morning team breakfasts at nearby parks that helped the players become closer. Coach Lopez said, “the boys and their parents trusted us and the results showed on and off the field. I’m extremely happy with the team’s growth and the success we had this season, and we are looking to build upon that for next year.”
