HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Roundup : Nothing Fancy About Rancho Buena Vista’s Run Past Crawford, 46-24

The Rancho Buena Vista football team doesn’t look to surprise any of its opponents with the offense it runs. Nothing fancy for this second-year school.

Of course, when you have two of the top running backs in San Diego County and an experienced and disciplined offensive line, why do anything but run the ball?

Rancho Buena Vista ran 42 times for 371 yards in routing visiting Crawford, 46-24, Friday night at Vista High.

“Our emphasis is running the ball,” Rancho Buena Vista Coach Craig Bell said. “If we’re going to win, we have to gain some yards on the ground. We’re not going to surprise anybody.”

Running behind guards Jack Harrington and Jon Robirds, runners O.J. Hall and Scott Garcia combined for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns. Garcia, the Avocado League player of the year as a junior, ran 19 times for 150 yards and scored on runs of 20 and 4 yards. Hall, a junior, carried 14 times for 164 yards and scored on a 45-yard run.

By halftime, Rancho Buena Vista (3-0) had established near total dominance in taking a 30-8 lead. The RBV defense held Crawford (2-1) to just 38 total yards and 1 first down. It forced quarterback Chris Townsend, who replaced injured Chris Johnson, to miss on 7 of his 8 pass attempts and sacked him 5 times for negative 51 yards. Linebacker Al Aliipule had three of those sacks and six first-half tackles. Aliipule, however, left the game late in the third quarter with a seperated right shoulder. His status for the league opener against Carlsbad was unknown.

The RBV offense averaged nearly 7 yards per each of its 20 first-half plays, all of which were on the ground.

Crawford was able to get on the board midway through the second quarter when Vernon Shaver caught a Townsend pass on the Crawford 36 and ran it in for a 76 yard touchdown play. Shaver, Crawford’s big-play receiver in the previous two wins, was held to just three catches.