Warriors Cash In on Banks’ Rushing

For Will Banks and the Woodbridge Warriors, the off-season has been full of weight training, team meetings and old-fashioned hard work. The results were visible Friday night, when Woodbridge defeated Pacifica, 31-14, in a nonleague game at Bolsa Grande High.

Banks rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns in 19 carries.

Banks, who gained 20 pounds in the off-season but was still able to add swift moves to his running game, led the Warriors to a 21-7 halftime lead. He gained 163 of his yards in the first half, when he scored all of his touchdowns.

“I ran track to get faster,” said Banks of his training regimen. “I ate more. I wanted to get my weight up.”

Banks also said he believes the Warriors are playing better than they did last year because they are playing together, especially the offensive line. He described the play of his offensive line, which paved the way for a total of 294 rushing yards, in one word: “Relentless.”

The Warriors certainly didn’t start the game in that fashion.

Quarterback Jimmy Pearson had a pass intercepted by Pacifica’s J.P. Lee on his team’s first possession. The Mariners converted the turnover into points as Javon Smith scored from five yards to complete a 56-yard drive.

Woodbridge answered with a 10-play, 80-yard drive, featuring a third-and-14 conversion. Pearson found Rex Peterson for 18 yards to keep the drive alive.

Banks then took over, finishing the drive with his first touchdown of the night, a 12-yard run.

“We’re just getting better and we still need to improve,” said left guard Chris Russell of Woodbridge’s line play. “You give [Banks] a crack and he’ll make something out of it.”

Banks closed out the first half with an 11-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds remaining.

In the second half, Pearson hooked up with Peterson again for a 31-yard scoring play on third and 10.