Truckee football gets physical in rout (with slideshow)

These Wolverines like the contact aspect of football.

The visiting Bishop Broncos learned the hard way Saturday in a 32-6 beating full of crunching hits, big plays and, as may be expected in a season opener, lots of penalties.

“We were curious what kind of physicality our players would bring,” said Truckee coach Bob Shaffer, “and we were pleased with what we saw.

“That first game you just don’t know how they’re going to come out and hit. We learned that they’re willing. They just have to get smarter with how they’re playing.”

Truckee players were often too aggressive in the first half, according to officials. The Wolverines drew eight penalties the first two quarters – many of which negated large gains on offense and special teams – while the Broncos avoided a single flag.

Still, the Wolverines controlled the flow throughout, gaining 217 yards on offense to Bishop’s 112 in the first half and 436-260 in the contest. Truckee’s running game was particularly effective, tallying 327 yards compared to the Broncos’ 115, while its defense held strong when needed most.

“We have some first-game mistakes to rectify. But one thing we’re happy about is that we can’t fault the kids for their effort,” said Shaffer, whose team carried a 6-3 lead into the half on a 5-yard touchdown run by senior wingback Ryan Roberts.

The hosts played hard-nosed but more refined football after the break, committing fewer penalties while outscoring Bishop 26-3 on a barrage of offensive and defensive highlights.

After a 16-yard Robert Raber touchdown reception early in the third, Truckee pulled away in the fourth on consecutive touchdown runs of 43 and 8 yards by junior Luis Aguilar followed by a 48-yarder from senior C.J. Ackerman with 37 seconds left in the game.

Ackerman also came up huge with an interception in the end zone in the third quarter that halted a 70-yard Bishop drive and kept the score at 12-3 entering the fourth. The senior intercepted another pass from Bishop quarterback Chance Erwin with about 4 minutes on the clock.

Aguilar finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns on five carries while senior Justin Vosburgh ran for 89 yards on five rushes in his debut at quarterback. Vosburgh operated the offense smoothly, connecting on 9 of 17 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown and no interceptions.

“I’m feeling pretty confident out there,” Vosburgh said. … “The line gave me time with blocks to find receivers.”

Indeed, Truckee’s big men up front wore down the Broncos as the game progressed, opening holes for runners and buying time for Vosburgh to look down field or scamper for yardage.

And so it went until the final pop.

“Every time before a game we make it a goal to outhit them,” said Ryan Macken, a senior linebacker and fullback who delivered his share of hits at both positions. “In most cases the outhititng team is the winning team. We’re firm believers in that.”

Up next The Wolverines play a nonleague game at Mariposa (Calif.) on Sept. 12, then follow with their final nonleague contest at Colfax (Calif.) on Sept. 19. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. Pick up Tuesday's Sierra Sun for a full game story with photos.

Game stats

Rushing – Bishop: 35-115. C. Erwin 15-79; 14-33; T. Berrey 2-3; L. Chudy 2-0; D. Quintana 1-0; C. Santana 1-0. Truckee: 28-327. L. Aguilar 5-100; J. Vosburgh 5-89; C. Ackerman 2-53; R. Roberts 5-28; J. Weed 3-21; R. Macken 3-16; V. Shaffer 1-11; R. Raber 1-7; J. Diero 1-3;U. Malo 1-(-3).

Passing – Bishop: 12-22-2-145. C. Erwin 12-22-2-145. Truckee: 9-17-0-109. Vosburgh: 9-17-0-109.

Receiving – Bishop: C. Santana 5-61; A. Puls 2-59; L. Chudy 4-23; T. Berrey 2-8. Truckee: F. Rice 2-38; R. Roberts 3-21; L. Aguilar 1-19; R. Raber 1-16; V. Shaffer 2-15.