Red Hawks celebrate monumental year with homecoming win
- Updated: October 8, 2016
2016 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 41, HAMILTON 15
By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com
PINE VALLEY – Mountain Empire High School celebrated homecoming during the school’s 100th anniversary season Friday night and the football team did their part by disposing of visiting Hamilton, of Anza, 41-15.
Senior captain VICTOR PARRA shows very little sign of a shoulder injury suffered in the first half of last week’s win, as he threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns as the Red Hawks broke open a 7-7 game in the first quarter.
Sophomore star GABRIEL HYDORN was up to his old tricks. The young gun caught eight passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. And, he put together another one of his forced fumble and recoveries, the third game in which he has done so.
Senior MICHAEL STOGSDILL scored on a 16-yard run for the first score of the game, but the Bobcats tied the game in the first quarter.
Hydorn then caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Parra for a 14-7 lead, which the Red Hawks wouldn’t relinquish.
In the second quarter, senior receiver ANDREW POWELL was on the receiving end of a school-record 90-yard touchdown pass from Parra, as the Red Hawks led 21-7 at intermission.
Hydorn caught a 35-yard TD pass from Parra in the third quarter and Stodsgill rushed in from 4 yards out for another third-period score.
In the fourth, Parra connected with Hydorn again, this time for a 60-yard long-distance touchdown. Parra was 17-for-31 on the night.
The Red Hawks’ defense racked up three sacks, one each from BLAKE JARRELL, Hydorn and junior SAWYER ERNSBARGER. Jarrell led the defense with 15 solo tackles. Ernsbarger had a pair of grabs for 32 yards on offense.
Junior JONATHAN PENUELAS had seven tackles, including one for loss for the Red Hawks. Sophomore DALLAS PRINCE had four catches for 44 yards and had six tackles and a fumble recover on defense. Powell added an 58-yard kickoff return.
Mountain Empire couldn’t mount much of a run game, but they didn’t need to the way Parra was clicking.
They could use that balance, but will still rely heavily on this passing attack next week against Holtville, which beat Lutheran in its Manzanita League opener, 49-2, Friday night. The game will represent Mountain Empire’s league opener at Red Hawk Stadium next Friday at 7 p.m.
