Rocklin kennels Turlock in decisive win

Any questions about Rocklin's ability to reload after graduating a large senior class were answered Friday night, as the Thunder delivered a statement in their season opener. Rocklin rolled past visiting Turlock 35-7, sending a clear reminder to the section that it remains a force to be reckoned with. Rocklin's defense set the tone early Friday night, forcing a three-and-out and a turnover on downs early in the first quarter. Spearheading the defensive efforts for the Thunder was the defensive line, led by the senior trio of Breyden Dehner, Asher Runnion and Dominic Coelho, who were able to put pressure on Turlock's dynamic dual-threat quarterback Scout Silva all night. Runnion and Dehner combined for six sacks in the game, forcing the Bulldogs to play from behind the sticks all night. "We always want to start off strong. A lot of people doubted us because they haven't seen us and we only have two returning starters," said Runnion. "I knew we had to set the tone on defense early." "Their quarterback is a really good player and we spent a lot of time talking about all the things he can do on the field. It was a great opportunity for our kids to compete against a guy like him and I thought our line played really well," said Rocklin coach Jason Adams. "We tried to cage him and keep him in front of us and we did a good job of that." Rockin's defense was aided by Turlock penalties early. The Bulldogs were penalized for four false starts in the first five minutes of the game, including one that derailed a promising drive that could have tied the game. Nevada commit Reeve Slone led the charge for the Thunder offensively, throwing for 208 yards and three touchdowns. Slone completed 15 of his 20 passes and spread the ball around well, connecting with eight different receivers. "He reads the defense so well. He doesn't just go ahead and pick on one guy . He looks at it and thinks that maybe the coverage told him one thing or he drops back and can see how things change," Adams said of Slone. "He just plays the position really well. He's not just a great athlete, he's so smart and we're lucky to have been around him for the last three years." Slone marched the Thunder down the field on his first two drives, delivering a 16-yard touchdown strike to Grayson Smith in the first quarter and finding Josiah Andrews in the end zone on a 37-yard dart on fourth down. "We started fast and we didn't want to let up at all," said Slone "We just kept it going and I am really excited about what we did." Slone's top target of the night was Andrews, who reeled in five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Connor Bow had a 32-yard touchdown catch in the final minute of the first half to give Rocklin a 21-0 lead. Slone said before the season that he had a strong connection with Andrews and Bow, having played multiple sports with them since he was in grade school. He believed that the connection was on display Friday night and that it was just a taste of what's to come. "I've got so much trust in those guys. They've been working their butts off this off season and I'm just really happy with how they played today." Slone also made sure to shout out his offensive line, which was mixing in three new starters but kept him clean all night and didn't allow any sacks. "I'm really proud of them. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they did their job," said Slone. The offensive line was equally dominant in the running game as well, paving the way for the Thunder to rush for over six yards per carry. Mason Cunningham led the Thunder with 49 yards, while Damien Panteloglow and Gered Linder each had scoring plunges in the second half. Adams was happy with the way the offensive line moved bodies but said that he wants them to keep the momentum going as Rocklin prepares for another tough opponent next week. "We're on that pendulum where we're swinging forward right now and it looks good, but all it takes is a bad day Monday to go backwards," said Adams of the offensive line. "We're happy with what we did and I know we're going to see some film and see some things that we got to improve on too." Rocklin (1-0) will head to Reno on Friday to take on Nevada powerhouse Bishop Manogue of Reno. The Thunder stressed the importance of keeping the momentum going, especially against a Miners team that will be eager to avenge last season's blowout loss. Said Runnion, "This win sets the tone. We're all very excited for next week. We know some people were doubting us but we are a very prideful group and we want to go take what's ours." ROCKLIN 35, TURLOCK 7 Turlock - 0 0 0 7 - 7 Rocklin- 7 14 7 7- 35 Rocklin- Grayson Smith 16 pass from Reeve Slone (Grant McGarry kick) Rocklin- Josiah Andrews 37 pass from Slone (McGarry kick) Rocklin- Connor Bow 32 pass from Slone (McGarry kick) Rocklin- Damien Panteloglow 22 run (McGarry kick) Rocklin- Gered Linder 2 run (McGarry kick) Turlock- Alex Ventura 2 run (Michael Cardoso kick)