Upper Lake enters bye week after home loss to Fort Bragg
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UPPER LAKE >> Costly turnovers and the inability to stop Fort Bragg’s running game didn’t help the Upper Lake Cougars’ cause in a 34-14 loss to the Timberwolves in North Central League I varsity football action Friday night in Upper Lake.
Upper Lake’s final home game of the regular season also doubled as senior night as the Cougars fell behind early, 14-0 in the first quarter, and spent the rest of the game trying to scratch their way back into contention, but without much success.
“The kids played hard, but you can’t make mistakes against a team like that,” Upper Lake head coach Stan Weiper said of the Timberwolves, who improved to 3-2 in the league standings and 4-3 overall. “Fort Bragg has some size and they were able to run the ball against us just like Kelseyville.”
The Cougars (3-3, 4-4) were not without scoring opportunities, but were unable to give senior quarterback Jerod Rosales enough time in the pocket, according to Weiper.
“He had receivers open, but he just didn’t have the time to get the ball to them,” Weiper said of Rosales, who went 7-for-20 for 120 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. “They did a lot of stunting and we weren’t picking up the stunts properly.”
Added Weiper, “We also dropped some key passes that might have turned into something.”
Fort Bragg wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, scoring on a screen pass on the first play from scrimmage and adding the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
“The kid took it 60 or 70 yards,” Weiper said of the touchdown.
And it was an uphill fight from there for the Cougars, who could have made themselves postseason eligible with a victory.
“Now we have two games left against some pretty good teams (Willits and Middletown), so it’s going to be tough,” Weiper said as the Cougars enter their bye week.
Following Fort Bragg’s quick score to open the game, Upper Lake mounted a drive deep into Timberwolf territory only to lose a fumble inside the Fort Bragg 10-yard line.
On the Cougars’ next possession, Fort Bragg returned a Rosales interception for a touchdown.
Fort Bragg went on to build a 28-8 halftime lead. Upper Lake’s touchdown came on a 5-yard pass from Rosales to Billy Stillman, with Brody Blancas adding the conversion run.
Both teams added a touchdown in the third quarter, Upper Lake’s a 4-yard Blancas run.
While Upper Lake turnovers contributed to Fort Bragg’s first-half success, the Cougars also hurt themselves with a number of offsides penalties on defense.
“We must have jumped offsides four or five times on fourth down, during fourth-and-six into four-and-one,” Weiper said.
Jon Barnes led Upper Lake on the ground with 48 yards on 13 carries while Blancas finished with 32 yards on seven carries. Stillman had three catches for 58 yards.
Upper Lake returns from its bye week Nov. 1 at Willits.
Fort Bragg won the junior varsity game 20-6.