Following back-to-back losses to open Foothill League play, Saugus bounced back on the road to defeat the Canyon Cowboys on Friday night.
The Centurions defeated Canyon, 48-20, with Saugus quarterback Jake Nuttall throwing three touchdowns in the victory.
“Every contest in the Foothill League is a playoff game,” Saugus head coach Jason Bornn said. “That’s the way we look at it, and we’re fighting for an opportunity to extend our season beyond the league play. So, every game that you play in the Foothill League is critical.”
In the opening quarter, the teams exchanged blows with touchdowns on the ground.
And in the first drive of the game, Canyon (1-6, 1-2) running back Keyshawn Wooten broke off for an apparent touchdown run down the sideline.
With the crowd cheering and Cowboys players celebrating, coaches were signaling to come back to midfield as a flag was thrown on Canyon.
Unable to extend the drive, the Cowboys punted the ball.
On the Centurions’ (5-2, 1-2) first drive, running back Ty Hall punched the ball into the end zone with an 8-yard run.
On the following drive, the Cowboys answered with a Semaj Richardson rushing touchdown, set up by a 50-yard kickoff return from Wooten that gave them field position in Saugus territory.
With a minute left in the first quarter, Saugus drove its offense down the field into Canyon’s territory.
A few plays later, the Centurions kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 10-6.
On the next drive, Richardson scored his second touchdown of the night, a play that was almost negated after a flag that was thrown but rescinded by the officials.
But Canyon’s lead was short-lived. The Centurions’ offense responded with a drive that resulted in a Landon Lattimore touchdown.
And with the Centurions offense clicking, their defense kept up with the momentum as Degan Grant picked off Canyon quarterback Carson Soria on the following drive.
With less than two minutes left until halftime, Saugus quarterback Jake Nuttall threw a touchdown pass to Mackyle Diaz.
And before both teams could head into the locker room, with one second left, the Centurions extended their lead with a field goal, making it 27-13 going into the second half.
Following halftime, the Centurions sealed the win with three more scores: a rushing touchdown from Matt Long, and two passing touchdowns from Nuttall, who finished the game with three.
Following the game, Bornn spoke on the need for the offense to execute all four quarters, as that’s the key to having a successful team.
“It comes down to us executing. Ninety-nine percent of the time for every team that’s playing a game, whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, it’s going to come down to your execution and the other team’s ability to stop it,” Bornn said. “And if you don’t execute, then you’re shooting yourself in your own foot.”
After the game, the senior quarterback spoke on the importance of the win and to get the offense in rhythm for the rest of the season.
“No matter your opponent, every league game is challenging,” Nuttall said. “We came in, we weren’t going to underestimate Canyon. So just for us, I’m really glad everything came together. Tonight’s a big confidence booster, and we’ll look to move forward to keep building brick by brick every week.”
With the win, Saugus picked up its first Foothill League win of the year, and a crucial one as the team remains in the playoff conversation for one of the league’s automatic berths.
“Every week, as we approach it, t’s a playoff game, every single week, so we don’t take anybody for granted, we don’t take anybody lightly,” Bornn said. “We’re going to continue to prepare and do all the things that we need to do to be successful in every contest, not just West Ranch, but every game.”
Saugus returns home next week, hosting West Ranch at Cougar Stadium, their first home game following four on the road.
As for Canyon, the Cowboys hit the road next week for a tough road game at Valencia facing the Vikings.
