#2 Ranked Spirits defeat Wildcats

After failing to win their 6th straight C.I.F. championship last season, the Paraclete Spirits are playing like they have something to prove. Coming off a victory over Division 3 Highland, the Spirits did not ease up on the #9 ranked Wildcats. Running behind a massive line, Senior Tailback Jarred Nelson ran for 241 yards and 5 tds to lead Paraclete to a 52 - 14 victory over the Cats. The came was close until the final 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter. Wildcat Sophomore running back Jerry Moscato ran for a brilliant 67 yard touchdown run to make the score 6 - 7 early in the first quarter. Early in the Second Quarter T.J. Stanford found Michael Usher open for a nifty 69 yard pass play to make the score 14 - 17. On the next series, Jesse Velasquez ripped the ball from Nelson to give the cats great field position on the spirit 40 yard line. Two near arial misses, and a tough call, prevented the cats from taking the lead. A dazzling 63 yard scamper by Nelson on the following series put the Spirits up 24 -14. Two crucial turnovers by the Wildcats, allowed the Spirits two easy scores in the final minutes of the 1st half. The undersized Wildcats played with a lot of determination, but costly turnovers once again damaged their chances for a victory. On the bright side for the cats was the consistent play of Senior Middle Linebacker Bernie Ayon. Ayon has been the mainstay for the Cat's defense the past two seasons. Jesse Velasquez, Antonio Oquendo, Eric Villages and Lance Bednorski gave great efforts on the evening as well. The Wildcats will travel to Yucca Valley next Friday evening to take on the Trojans in a non-league game. This will be the final pre-season game for the Wildcats, who will start league play against Vista Del Lago of Moreno Valley on October 3rd. The Battle of the Bell game will be held on Tom Nicole Field Friday October 31st. The Trojans are 1-1 coming off a 31-0 victory against Desert Hot Springs. Game time will be 4:30 and 7:30 Friday night in Yucca Valley.

Coaches Comments:


"I saw a lot of improvement Friday, and I don't believe our kids ever gave up. We made some key mistakes, which really made a close ballgame go the opposite direction. I see improvement everyday, and these two tough opponents will really help us when DeAnza league play begins. We have an entirely new offensive line and we will be much improved in the weeks to come.


Wildcat of the Week

Senior Linebacker Bernie Ayon had 15 tackles against Paraclete Friday night. Bernie has been our leading tackler the past two seasons. Bernie is also one of the top running backs in the league, and will be one of the key players this season for the Wildcats. He has worked extremely hard in the 4 seasons he has been in the program. Bernie is a leader on and off the field!

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