HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: WEEK 3 : St. Bonaventure Hogs the Ball and the Clock to Beat Nordhoff, 12-0

St. Bonaventure High used ball-control offense and a ball-hawking defense in defeating Nordhoff, 12-0, in a nonleague game Friday night.

The Seraphs (3-0) recovered a fumble and intercepted two passes thrown by Nordhoff’s Jim Musick. St. Bonaventure turned both interceptions into touchdowns by senior tailback Topi Sanchez, who had 176 yards in 29 carries.

Beyond that, St. Bonaventure simply swallowed the clock and the Rangers (2-1) with its mammoth line.

“Our offensive line is one of our best assets,” said 6-foot-5, 250-pound tackle Sam Benner. “This season we can control the ball and if we control the ball we win the game.”

Sanchez took advantage of the bulldozers in front of him, but consistently gained extra yardage on his own and earned the respect of the Ranger defense.

“He’s a tough, little, stocky guy,” Nordhoff linebacker Russell Farrar said. “I hit him as hard as I could on one play and he just bounced off and ran for a touchdown. That made me mad.”

The Seraphs controlled the ball from the opening kickoff but didn’t score in the opening quarter despite 16- and 12-play drives.

Early in the second quarter, however, St. Bonaventure safety Pat Devericks gave his offense good field position when he intercepted Musick’s pass at the St. Bonaventure 42-yard line.

Five plays later, Sanchez tore off a 30-yard scoring run. Andrew Montenegro’s extra-point attempt was blocked by Farrar.

The Seraphs’ defense struck again with four minutes to play in the third quarter when linebacker Shaun Velasquez intercepted a Musick pass and returned it 28 yards to the Nordhoff 18-yard line.

This time it took four plays for St. Bonaventure to score on a five-yard run by Sanchez. St. Bonaventure tried to run for the two-point conversion but Montenegro was stopped at the two.

“We just shoved it right down their throats on the ground,” St. Bonaventure Coach Jon Mack said. “This win is a huge measuring stick for our program.”

Nordhoff struggled offensively all game. Musick completed only eight of 21 passes for 65 yards.

Farrar gained 78 yards in 12 carries, followed by tailback Greg Coleman, who carried 12 times for 44 yards.

Nordhoff mounted its only real threat of the game in the final two minutes. Musick drove the Rangers from their own 16 to St. Bonaventure 13, but was sacked on fourth and six with only seconds left.