- Merced High cruised to another CCC win with a 49-8 victory over El Capitan
- The win sets up a showdown with Atwater High for the CCC next week.
The Merced Bears hosted the El Capitan Gauchos on Friday, October 30, for their final home game of the regular season. With Merced hosting their Senior Night before kickoff, the Bears looked to continue their undefeated CCC record and move one step closer to securing another league title.
El Capitan opened the game with a promising drive, quickly moving the ball down to Merced’s 20-yard line. However, the Bears’ defense responded by forcing a loss of yards before El Capitan eventually fumbled, giving Merced possession. The Bears took advantage of the turnover as quarterback Raul Diaz Moreno IV connected with Brody Dabney on a 35-yard pass to move into El Capitan territory. Dougie Andrews followed that with a 38-yard rushing touchdown, and Jomei Montes added the extra point to put Merced ahead 7-0 in the first quarter. The Bears continued their offensive momentum when Anthony Tacheira later scored on a seven-yard rushing touchdown. Merced finished the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.
As the game continued, the Bears’ control over the game strengthened. Andrews found the end zone for the second time with a seven-yard rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 21-0. Soon after that, Tacheira recorded his second rushing touchdown of the night with another seven-yard run. Despite El Capitan recovering a Merced fumble later in the quarter, the Gauchos were unable to turn the possession into points. With less than 30 seconds remaining before halftime, Moreno connected with Andrews on a long pass to set up Israel Rodas for a two-yard rushing touchdown. The Bears entered halftime leading 35-0.
Merced continued with their offensive success after the break. With about five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Moreno connected with Charles Polk for a 19-yard touchdown pass, extending the Bears’ lead to 42-0. Merced’s special teams then made an impact, blocking an El Capitan punt to give the Bears possession near the Gauchos’ end zone. Quarterback Dominick Duran followed with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Rodas, his second of the night.
With the game entering the fourth quarter, El Capitan finally got on the scoreboard in the closing seconds. Jesse Morgan connected with Jayden Guerrero for a touchdown, and the Gauchos followed with a successful two-point conversion on a pass to Austin Gooding. The touchdown brought the final score to 49-8.
Following the game, senior receiver Charles Polk reflected on what the win means., “It means a lot. Not just for me, but for the team,” Polk said. He also credited the connection between teammates for helping the Bears remain successful throughout the season: “It’s just like a brotherhood. Like, there’s nothing you can really say. It’s just that we all love each other inside and outside the sport.” With one game remaining in the regular season, Polk said the team’s focus is on finishing strong and securing the league title. “First, we got to finish off with the CCC title, Atwater at their home. Then, hopefully get to the playoffs and win those first two rounds at least.”
The Bears improved to 7-2 overall while remaining undefeated in league play. Merced will travel to face Atwater on Friday, November 6, in their final regular-season game. A win over the Falcons would secure the CCC title for Merced and extend its league winning streak, which has continued across previous seasons. Atwater enters the matchup with a 4-5 overall record after defeating Golden Valley 17-14. Meanwhile, El Capitan falls to 1-8 and will prepare to face Buhach Colony in their final game of the regular season.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos. ↩︎
