In an emotional and high scoring affair at Mark Macres Memorial Stadium, the Monterey Trail Mustangs beat the Cosumnes Oaks Wolfpack 63-28 Friday night.
It was the yearly memorial game that the football program holds for Macres, who was the founding vice principal of the school when it opened in 2004 and passed away from cancer in 2005.
Mustangs head coach T.J. Ewing said he was inspirational.
“Mark embodied the spirit about athletics and student athlete, putting the student first and the athlete second.”
Ewing has also been at Monterey Trail since the school opened.
He added that the rock that the players and coaches touch before they enter and leave the stadium is a cancer awareness statement that everyone can touch the rock with anyone who has ever had cancer.
The emotional night continued when there was a moment of silence held before the game for head women’s volleyball coach Marisha Williams, who passed away Sept. 4 of what was listed as natural causes by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
The game started off quickly after Cosumnes Oaks (2-2) punted on a three and out.
Monterey Trail senior quarterback Zachary Larrier drove the Mustangs down the field for an 8-yard touchdown rush.
The Wolfpack fired right back when senior running back Jacob Trach trucked a 79-yard touchdown run, Monterey Trail held a one-point lead after a missed extra point by Cosumnes Oaks.
The Mustangs controlled the rest of the first quarter with two explosive runs from their dynamic duo in Larrier and senior running back Jehiel Budgett.
Larrier had three passing and two rushing touchdowns, while Budgett had two rushing touchdowns on the night.
Budgett had a 48-yard TD rush and Larrier had a 66-yard TD run.
Monterey Trail had a 21-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with Larrier throwing a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Andre Crump.
The game was not out of reach for the Wolfpack, however.
Cosumnes Oaks junior running back Daniel Williams ran the ball in the end zone for nine yards, which brought the Wolfpack within 14 points of the Mustangs.
Budgett found the end zone again for Monterey Trail on an 11-yard TD run, which gave the Mustangs another 21-point lead.
Towards the end of the first half, Trach brought Cosumnes Oaks within 14 points with a seven-yard TD rush.
This was the second and last touchdown on the night for Trach, who scored six rushing touchdowns and had 384 yards on the ground last week against River City High School.
Monterey Trail took a 35-21 lead at the half, which included a total of 570 yards of total offense between the two teams.
The Mustangs took the second half kickoff and never looked back.
They scored all 28 of their second half points in the third quarter to make the clocks start running at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Wolfpack head coach Derick Milgrim said they had trouble containing the Mustangs offense.
“We had moments where we did really well, but not enough of them,” Milgrim said. “We weren’t physical and disciplined enough to do our job.”
Monterey Trail scored two touchdowns while facing a fourth down.
He added that he thought his team could have competed better, but that the Mustangs were one great football team.
Monterey Trail stopped Trach in his tracks by not allowing any more big runs on the night.
Trach gave credit to the Mustangs for their game planning.
“We had some good runs throughout the game, but overall they knew what was coming,” Trach said.
Monterey Trail has a bye-week upcoming before they host Paraclete High School from Lancaster, California on Sept. 21.
Cosumnes Oaks will start Delta League play Friday night when they travel to Sheldon at 7:15 p.m.
“Everyone is 0-0 and the plan is start off league with a victory,” Milgrim said.
You can view the original article by clicking HERE