34-0 win over Northshore elevates Cardinals’ season record to 7-1
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UPPER LAKE >> Despite throwing an interception on their first possession, the Westshore Cardinals pretty much had things their own way Saturday, shutting out the Northshore Cougars 34-0 in the junior varsity division of the Mendo-Lake Junior Football League at Upper Lake High School.
Quarterback LJ Hopkins, who threw the interception, came back to have a pretty nice game with a team-best 139 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Layton Butcher added another 58 yards on the ground with two TDs.
A 35-yard run by Brady Liske set up Westshore’s first touchdown, a 20-yard Hopkins run during which he broke several tackles. Ethain White’s fumble recovery at the Northshore 9-yard line with 1:45 left in the first half set up the Cardinals’ next score, a Butcher 1-yard run with 25 seconds left. Hopkins’ conversion kick made it 14-0.
Westshore’s defense came up with a three-and-out to open the second half and the Cardinals went up 20-0 on a 5-yard Hopkins run that capped a seven-play drive.
Hopkins scored on a 5-yard run to make it 26-0, and Butcher’s 10-yard sweep pushed the Cardinals’ lead to 34-0 a Hopkins added the conversion kick. The mercy rule came into effect at that point.
Westshore’s second-string defense kept Northshore out of the end zone with a goal-line stand led by Joseph Glass, John Chelleberg and AJ Wagner.
Butcher led the Cardinals with 12 tackles, Hopkins added eight more, and Noah Cochrane had five tackles, including a sack.
“We came out slow, but as the weather got cooler, we heated up,” Westshore head coach Jeremy Hopkins said.
Clear Lake improved to 7-1 while Northshore fell to 2-6.
The Cardinals return home next Saturday to play Sonoma (5-3). Northshore hosts Lower Lake (6-2). Both games start at 5:30 p.m.