B.J. Lee's three touchdown runs covered 20, 21 and 64 yards
(Covina) – It was what they called in the old days a good old fashioned butt kicking – a game in which somebody got taken out behind the woodshed. But to many people’s surprise it was West Covina who was the team administering the beating as they bullied South Hills 42-27 Thursday night at Covina District Field.
B.J. Lee led a rushing attack that the Huskies had no answer for. Lee had only seven carries but they were the biggest seven carries of the game. He rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns. The scores came on runs of 20, 21, and 64 yards. That was 105 yards right there.
“He’s a real tough kid that just loves contact. And when you have that kind of speed you can make just one move and you’re gone,” said West Covina Coach Mike Maggiore.
It’s not just Lee that opponents have to worry about as the Bulldogs have a deep ground game. West Co had seven different players carry the ball. Charles Tucker had 78 yards and two touchdowns. Jimmy Frazier had seven carries for 53 yards and a score and quarterback George Johnson had 44 yards on the ground.
“We feel we have a pretty good offensive line,” Maggiore said. “So when the run is working you just keep pounding it. As the game wore on we gained a lot of confidence.”
Lee got the Bulldogs started on their second possession by capping a 55 yard drive with a 20 yard sprint right up the gut.
South Hills struck quickly on the ensuing series when Jamel Hart, running out of the wildcat formation, broke off a 58 yard touchdown run to get the Huskies even.
It was the last time South Hills had a look at the game as West Covina broke it open.
The Bulldogs put together an eight play, 75 yard drive with Lee again finishing it. It looked like the same play as the previous score as he went 21 yards for the touchdown.
South Hills was forced to punt and the WC immediately took advantage. Tucker got to the corner and ran by the Husky secondary down the sideline for a 45 yard touchdown jaunt for a 21-7 lead.
South Hills mounted a drive but it was halted when Anthony Molina intercepted quarterback Vince Hernandez’ pass at the five yard line just before halftime.
On the first series of the third quarter it was more of the same. Chewing up yardage behind a solid offensive line, West Covina marched 56 yards on ten plays with Frazier going the last nine yards for the score.
Coach Steve Bogan went deep into the play book on the next series to get a score. Hernandez, after getting the ball back on a pitch on a flea flicker, found a leaping Cody Deen in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 28-14.
Lee, who else, put any thoughts of a South Hills rally on hold when he took the hand off on the first play of the next series, made a quick cut past a defender and exploded 64 yards for a score to make it 35-14.
After another WC touchdown run by Tucker in the fourth, South Hills scored twice late after the contest had been decided. A 39 yard run by Jordan Gutierrez led to a one yard plunge by Hernandez, and Hart rounded out the scoring with a four yard run.
West Covina has now won its last two after losing the opener to Covina.
“We played four quarters like we did last week against Venice. The Covina loss in week one was good for us. We need to play all four quarters,” Maggiore said.
Bogan’s Huskies record evened up at 1-1.
“Their offense has played well in all three games except for maybe one quarter,” Bogan said of West Covina. “When you go against an offense like that on a short week you’re going to be in trouble. We have a young team especially on defense. But playing them makes us better. We’re young but we’ll be back.”
For South Hills Gutierrez rushed for 131 yards on 16 carries and Hart had 17 carries for 119 yards and two scores.
South Hills travels to Tesoro next week while West Covina will take on Glendora at Citrus College.
WC 7 14 13 8 42
SH 7 0 7 13 27
Summary:
1st Qtr:
WC 4:41 Lee 20 yd run (Rigo Castillo Kick)
SH 3:16 Hart 58 yd run (Gutierrez Kick)
2nd Qtr:
WC 11:45 Lee 21 yd run (Castillo Kick)
WC 7:44 Tucker 45 yd run (Castillo Kick)
3rd Qtr:
WC 6:52 Frazier 9 yd run (Castillo Kick)
SH 4:27 Deen 30 yd pass from Hernandez (Gutierrez Kick)
WC 4:08 Lee 64 yd run (Bad snap- 2 pt failed)
4th Qtr:
WC 11:15 Tucker 11 yd run (Ojala pass from Castillo- 2 pt)
SH 6:00 Hernandez 1 yd run (Gutierrez Kick)
SH 1:22 Hart 4 yd run (Kick Blocked)
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