Sonora Offense Finally Finds Winning Formula

After an 0-2 start, Sonora Coach Mark Takkinen wanted to start the season from scratch. So he did.

“We put the wing-T back into the offense the last three days,” Takkinen said. “We told the kids we’re starting over and playing an eight-game season.”

The Raiders picked up their first victory of the year Friday, running for 208 yards and five touchdowns as they defeated Garden Grove, 35-0, at Garden Grove High.

“Our defense won the game for us,” Takkinen said. “They gave us good field position, which we hadn’t gotten the first two games.”

The Sonora offense was inconsistent in the first half, losing a pair of fumbles, but took advantage of good field position to lead, 14-0, at the intermission. The Raiders took over at the Garden Grove 19 after a bad snap from punt formation, and needed three plays to get in. Chris Perry did the honors from four yards or a 7-0 lead.

The visitors scored again with 3 minutes 21 seconds left in the half, as a 32-yard pass play from Ralph Fernandez to David Cunningham set up Perry’s six-yard scoring run up the middle.

Sonora ground out three more scores in the second half to put the game away. Fernandez scored on a 17-yard scramble and a one-yard sneak, and John Ngo contributed a one-yard touchdown run.

Garden Grove (0-3) gained only 96 net yards offense in the first 30 minutes of the game and suffered its second consecutive shutout.