Confident Braves get rolling behind leader McCullough
- Updated: October 3, 2015
EL CAJON VALLEY’s NATHAN McCULLOUGH / photo courtesy TRyan Photography
By Chris Davis
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (10-3-15) — The question around Braves Stadium on Friday (Oct. 2) in the fourth quarter wasn’t whether the Braves would win, but if NATHAN McCULLOUGH was going to rush for 300 yards. For the record, McCullough would finish with 281 yards rushing on 21 carries and four touchdowns in El Cajon Valley’s 32-13 victory over Orange Glen.
As a team, the Braves carried the ball 34 times for 343 yards and four of the carries (all by McCullough) ended in the end zone. The Braves (4-1) threw the ball for 22 yards and a touchdown.
“He has been doing it all year for us,” coach PARRIS PISIONA said after the game about McCullough. “A tremendous running back.”
After the Patriots (4-2) of Orange Glen scored on their first drive of the game to take a 6-0 lead with just under half of the first quarter remaining. McCullough and TYSON SMITH went to work. The first drive for the Braves finished in a Tyson Smith to CHARLES SMITH 16-yard pass and catch to tie the game up at 6 with 3:10 remaining in the opening quarter.
The only score in the second quarter was the first of McCullough’s scores. It was the second shortest of the night as it was from 6 yards out. The Braves tried to go to the well one too many times however, when they gave it to McCullough for the 2-point attempt got stuffed to give the Braves a 12-6 lead just six and a half minutes before halftime.
EL CAJON VALLEY QB TYSON SMITH / photo courtesy TRyan Photography
Coming back after the break, the Braves worked their way down the field methodically and broke through with a McCullough 1-yard run. With the 2-point conversion getting stuffed it was 18-6 El Cajon Valley.
Then came the last 30 seconds of the third quarter. In a game that featured two teams that are methodical and likes to take time off the clock, when you have both teams score within 21 seconds of each other, it makes you kinda question what is wrong with doing that all the time? That is exactly what happened. First it was Orange Glen with a 23-yard run to cut it to 18-13 El Cajon Valley.
McCullough must have been thinking on the sideline, that’s nice. He came back and ran 60 yards to pay dirt. After the extra point failed it was 24-13 El Cajon Valley with only three seconds left in the third stanza.
EL CAJON VALLEY SENIOR LINEMAN JEREMIAH VALDES / photo courtesy TRyan Photography
Just two and a half minutes into the final period of play McCullough took it in from halfway home (the 50), after a pass to RONNE READUS for the 2-point conversion it was 32-13 El Cajon Valley.
The Braves will open Grossmont Valley League play next week when West Hills (2-4) will come to Braves Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.
