Wildcats roll past Broncos
| Friday, Nov 27 2009 11:44 PM
Last Updated Friday, Nov 27 2009 11:45 PM
TAFT Despite losing their starting quarterback Hunter Liljeroos midway through the game, the Taft Wildcats rolled to a 27-0 victory against the Dos Palos Broncos in the Division IV Central Section quarterfinalss at Martin Memorial Stadium on Friday.
"We had to make some adjustments when our quarterback went out on crutches," Taft coach Steve Sprague said. "I think it may have rallied us a little bit. Our players accepted the challenge and stepped up to get us the win."
The Wildcats (9-2) held Dos Palos (6-6) to just 179 total yards while racking up 339.
The two teams were locked in a defensive battle for much of the first half until Wildcats running back Brice Royal slammed into the end zone from seven yards out with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a narrow 7-0 lead at halftime.
After being held to just 49 yards in the first half, Taft's leading rusher, Cody Shirreffs, busted out of the backfield on the Wildcats' first possession of the third quarter and sprinted for a 63-yard touchdown to give Taft a 14-0 cushion.
The 'Cats added one more touchdown in the third quarter when Daniel Watts took the hand-off and raced 77 yards downfield and into the end zone, extending the lead by 14.
Taft's Andrew Smith capped the game with a 2-yard touchdown run late in the fourth.
Liljeroos' injury is in his lower body and will be evaluated in the coming week.
