The James Logan Colts of Union City defeated Hayward’s Moreau Catholic Mariners 39-29 on Friday, Oct. 16, at Al Vermeil Field in Hayward.
The Colts’ defense dominated early, allowing no points in the first half. After returning an onside kick attempt by the Mariners out of halftime, Logan led 17-0.
Any momentum built by the Mariners’ offense in the first half was destroyed by holding and false start penalties. The bad luck continued after a missed field goal with a chance to tie the game in the second quarter.
Without sophomore quarterback Kimoni Brown, senior Alejandro Ramirez stepped in to lead the ship for Moreau. Immediately after the kick return, Ramirez found sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Cory Hall Jr. for a 73-yard touchdown down the right sideline.
It was the start of a 21-2 scoring run by the Mariners, giving them the lead entering the fourth quarter.
Three forced fumbles helped set up the Mariners’ comeback, but the Colts’ ground game was too physical to keep up with.
Senior running back Angelos Gonzalez Teran and junior running back Jeramiyah Cotton, who each scored a rushing touchdown, were the focal points of the Colts’ offense.
“They couldn’t match up to our size, so I just knew coming in let’s lean on [Cotton and Teran],” Colts head coach Antoine Brown said. “Let’s play bully ball all day.”
After two near interceptions, Cotton jumped a pass intended for Hall Jr. and returned it for a pick-six securing the win.
“We knew not to let our heads down and go away,” Cotton said. “Kept fighting through, we knew we were gonna come out with the dub.”
Senior quarterback Kamari Robinson added a rushing touchdown of his own in the fourth quarter. Through the air he found senior tight end/linebacker Teddy Gaoteote for a 52-yard touchdown strike through the middle of the field in the first half.
“We came into this game confident, we had a lot of practice for this game, and we just executed,” Robinson said.
Logan entered this game 1-5, after a brutal nonleague schedule. The team feels strong leading the league with a 2-0 division record.
“We’re just making a statement every week that [the league] comes through us,” Brown said.
Back-to-back losses dropped Moreau to sixth in the league. Next, they will host the San Leandro Pirates at 7pm on Oct. 23.
