EG, Franklin, MT Roll, Laguna, PG Take It On The Chin

Week Two H.S. Football:

Franklin 28, Casa Grande 7
Elk Grove 41, Lincoln (Stockton) 14 
Bradshaw Christian 57, Summerville 56 (2 OT's)
Folsom 54, Pleasant Grove 14
Antelope 42, Laguna Creek 7
Cosumnes Oaks 50, Rio Linda 8 
Monterey Trail 75, Florin 0
El Camino 45, Valley 6
Sheldon 38, West 21
Davis 13, Vintage 6

The setting sun had a definite orange hue. The skies seemed to also emit an eery yellow light, too. The smoke from the Butte Fire, 45 miles to the east, covered the Valley on this 100-degree evening in the Elk Grove area turning the whole setting for high school football at Cosumnes River College into something that was out of the ordinary.

The top performers this evening at CRC's newly-remodeled stadium were a toss-up between Antelope High School quarterback Mantel Aaron and the Laguna Creek High School Marching Band.

Aaron had five TD passes, all in the first half, in the Titans' 42-7 romp over the Cardinals in a non-conference affair.

Meanwhile, the 120-member Laguna Creek Marching Band, under the direction of Jeff Edom, was impressive with its halftime performance that included music from the movies "Somewhere In Time" and "Back To The Future." The band is preparing for its next competition Oct. 10 at Oakmont High

Laguna Creek H.S.'s Marching Band

School and Edom has his band practicing six days a week to perfect an eight-and-a half minute performance.

The Cardinals' football team, on the other hand, just didn't have the size, speed, nor talent to stay close to the 3-0 Titans as Antelope proved they are a threat to win the Capital Valley Conference championship this fall.

"We would have had to play a near-perfect game tonight just to stay in the game with these guys," Cardinals' football coach Dave Morton remarked.

Aaron led the Titans downfield for touchdowns each of the first four times they touched the football Friday night. Antelope led 35-0 at half. Aaron was virtually perfect in the passing game after coming into the game with two TD passes  and having thrown a pair of interceptions in wins over Monterey Trail and Sheldon.

The disgust of the drubbing at the hands of the Titans was written all over Morton's face

"They are a playoff team, a very good team," he said. "We got outplayed, out-coached. Thirty-five points better than us? Yeah, tonight they were."

R.j. Barrow (#7) runs down an Antelope back in Friday's 42-7 loss

The Cardinals have now been on the wrong end of two blow-outs two weeks in a row. In Week One, they were rolled by Christian Brothers, 48-8.

"We go to playoffs at the beginning of the season, most people go to playoffs at the end of the season," Morton quipped. "Both of those teams are playoff teams."

The lone Cardinal score came with 3:58 left in the contest when 5-5 junior reserve quarterback Kevin Chocktoot hit Clinton Spellman on a bubble screen for a touchdown.

And, with the Metro Conference opener in two weeks against Valley Morton knows he needs to get several guys back in the lineup. Five players had to be helped off the field Friday, keeping the team trainer busy and crowding the small green bench on the sideline.

"We talked about putting all the guys on the bus that got off the bus, so yeah, the injured guys are always a concern," he said. "We will be ready for the Metro league. My team is very young, very inexperienced, as it shows. When things go down, they just roll up. There's things we've got to work on internally to get better."

Laguna Creek coach Dave Morton encouraging his defensive squad during

 Friday's loss to Antelope