Jorge Salinas(51) and Abood Elias(24) hone in on the Victor Valley quarterback. Image: Thomas Garcia
Jorge Salinas(51) and Abood Elias(24) hone in on the Victor Valley quarterback. Image: Thomas Garcia

Football: Owl Defense Shuts Out Rams

Citrus Football played an American Mountain Division conference game on Saturday. The Owls sent the Victor Valley Rams packing, shutting out the visitors 21-0 and staying unbeaten in American Mountain Division conference play. 

The Owl defense was on top its game in a big way. Citrus shut down Victor Valley consistently throughout the game, holding the Rams to just 141 total offensive yards. The defense was perfect in the red zone, putting up big stops and demoralizing the opponent offense. The Rams tried and failed 3 times inside 20 yards, converted only 5 of 16 3rd downs, and 1 of 5 4th downs. The Owl pass rush was on point, sacking the quarterback 4 times and posting 4 QB hurries as well. On top of all that, the Owls forced 4 fumbles on the day. 

Jorge Salinas led all players in tackles, posting a total of 8 on the day for a loss of 17 yards, and tracked down a sack to boot. 22 Owls recorded at least 1 tackle in the win. Kendal Henderson had 7 of those, as well as a sack. 

On offense, the Owls were clicking. The air game was steady and efficient, with a 63% completion percentage, and an average gain of 8 yards a play. Quarterback Austin Zavala was 8 for 11 for 104 yards. The sophomore found receiver Jeremiah Lineberger on an 18 yard play that resulted in Lineberger's 4th touchdown of the season. The run game was also a familiar sight. With 6 different players recording carries, the Owls crossed the goal line on the ground 2 times, once on a 6 yard run by Walter Carl, the other by Derrion Warner, a 21 yarder. 

The Owls improve to 8-0 on the year, keeping a perfect conference mark of 2-0. The guys look ahead to they Saturday when they go head to head with San Bernardino who also sits at 2-0 in the competitive American Mountain Division. The winner will take sole control of the conference lead. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM this Saturday ta San Bernardino. 

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