St. Paul Swordsmen football turned on the jets early in its non-league win over the West Ranch Wildcats.
The Swordsmen won the game, 42-7, scoring all of their points on an unanswered streak starting in the second quarter Thursday night at College of the Canyons.
St. Paul (2-1) was led by running back Christian Melendez, who pounded in a trio of rushing TDs on the day,
The Wildcats (2-2) started the game well, holding St. Paul scoreless until the second quarter. West Ranch’s sole score was a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Liam McDaniel to Jack Samuelson for their third connection of the season.
St. Paul piled on scores once the team got going in the second quarter. West Ranch coach Chris Varner thought his team played a solid first half but saw the Swordsmen scoring snowball in the second.
“They had a fast-attack style defense that was stingy and executed well,” Varner wrote in a text message.
West Ranch’s seven-point output was the program’s lowest in three years. The Cats are still looking to find the right recipe for success on offense but are coming off a two-game stretch where they scored over 100 points. The offense moved the ball well throughout Thursday’s contest but turnovers cost the Wildcats points in the final three quarters.
“The offense is still trying to find its footing,” Varner wrote. “I think we are coming along. Most of our problems I feel come from inexperience. I’m hoping we hit our stride at the right time now that we are in league.”
The Wildcats will head into Foothill League play at .500. West Ranch’s first league game will be a road showdown with the Canyon Cowboys (2-1).
The Cats have a big defensive front with over 18 sacks on the season, a monster running back in Luke DePerno and some standouts in the passing game.
Canyon matches up well, with star athletes in mostly all of the same positions.
“I just want to see more consistency,” Varner added.
West Ranch heads to Canyon on Thursday at 7 p.m.
