JV Cardinals roll past Kelseyville 31-0 in season opener
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LAKEPORT >> LJ Hopkins and Layton Butcher took great big bites out of the Kelseyville defense Saturday as the two junior varsity teams square off during week one of Mendo-Lake Empire Junior Football League play at Clear Lake High School in Lakeport.
Hopkins rushed for 152 yards on only eight carries with three touchdowns while Butcher added 138 yards on six carries with two TDs as the Cardinals rolled to a 31-0 win.
Hopkins scored touchdowns on his first two touches of the day, rambling 35 yards and 60 yards. He added his third touchdown on his fifth touch, this time on a 40-yard run.
When Kelseyville’s defense put a spy on Hopkins, the Cardinals began feeding Butcher the ball. He scored on a 60-yard run late in the second quarter, then after Westshore’s defense forced a three-and-out, Butcher scored on a 70-yard right before halftime while pushing the Cardinals’ lead to 31-0. The mercy rule went into effect at that point.
Westshore’s defense allowed Kelseyville 70 yards of total offense. Butcher anchored the defensive unit with seven tackles while Josiah Smith had four.
“Smith was on a tear on the defensive line, disrupting nearly every play,” Westshore head coach Jeremy Hopkins said. “The D line as a whole controlled the game.”
Added Hopkins, “It was a great way to start the season, but there’s still a lot of hard work to do. We have to iron out some details.”
Westshore (1-0) hosts Fort Bragg next Saturday while Kelseyville (0-1) visits Lower Lake. Game times are 3:30 p.m. for the pee wees, 5:30 p.m. for the junior varsity and 7:30 p.m. for the varsity at both locations.
