Placer runs wild on Laguna Creek

Placer High School senior Shaun Jones took his first carry of Friday night's game against Laguna Creek for 13 yards, and he did not stop until the final whistle. The bruiser led the Hillman with five touchdowns, as Placer pulled away for a 49-34 victory in Auburn. "That guy ran like a champ tonight. He kept telling me to just keep feeding him the rock and he capitalized on it," said Placer coach Joey Montoya of Jones. "Our guys did a great job blocking for him and he capitalized on all of his opportunities." Montoya fed the beast just as he asked, as Jones punished the Cardinals with 324 yards on 30 carries. Fifteen of Jones' carries went for over double digits, as the Hillmen averaged over 10 yards per carry and 497 yards on the ground. "I just got to give all of the credit to the whole offensive line. They were doing their job the whole time. I've never seen holes that open before," said Jones. "We got a lot of things fixed from last week, which is all I could ask." Jones put the game away for the Hillmen, scoring four of his touchdowns in the game's final 13 minutes. He rattled off a 43-yard scoring dash in the final seconds of the third quarter to give the Hillmen a 28-18 cushion and put the nail in the coffin with his three touchdowns in the fourth. "We just came out and we made big plays and turned it around. After last week, that was all we could do," said Jones. Danny Sanchez-Harlow complimented Jones well, adding 115 yards on 11 carries while Alex Lopez had 55 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Jones said the skillset of all three players makes the Hillmen hard to stop, noting that each player brings something different to the table and keeps opposing defenses guessing. "We were all just working together all night and we all celebrate with each other whenever any of us make a big play," said Jones. "We're always celebrating highs for each other and we're always keeping each other in check." Lopez also made his mark on the defensive side of the ball, nabbing an interception on the goal line in the third quarter to keep the Cardinals out of the end zone. "Alex is a great player for us. He's a kid that was waiting for his time last year and he played an amazing role for us when we had players go down," said Montoya of Lopez. "He's a playmaker and he makes plays at the biggest moments, which is what he did tonight." Placer's defense bent but didn't break in crucial situations all night. The Hillmen forced a punt on Laguna Creek's opening drive after the Cardinals nearly reached the red zone. The Hillmen also forced a turnover on downs in scoring position and made Laguna Creek settle for a field goal inside of the 10-yard line. Although it was a two-score game, Placer was in control all night. The Hillmen led 21-3 late in the first half and 42-18 midway through the fourth quarter. Laguna Creek quarterback Jayden Debbs threw two late touchdowns to keep the Cardinals in the mix. The junior finished the night 23-for-40 with 346 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Laguna Creek senior Ryan Eddy reeled in seven catches for 110 yards and added 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Keiran Smith had eight catches for 86 yards and a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown late in the first half. Marcus Malone had two interceptions. Montoya said that he liked his team's response to the adversity they faced last week in the loss to Casa Roble and while Friday's win wasn't perfect, it was a massive step in the right direction. "We just knew we were a lot better than how we played last week against a very good football team," said Montoya. "Tonight we definitely saw a different beast on the field. We've still got some things to clean up. We had two major special teams blunders tonight that we got to get ironed out and a couple other little things, but, overall, I think our kids really responded well." Placer will face a tough test next week, as Del Oro (1-0) comes to Auburn with the hopes of avenging a loss to the Hillmen a year ago. Montoya says that he knows it will be tough, but he wants to focus on enjoying the win for now and will prepare for the Golden Eagles starting in the morning. Said Montoya, "I'm just going to enjoy this one tonight. It's going to be a great game for the communities against another great football team. Those games are always classics." PLACER 49, LAGUNA CREEK 34 Laguna Creek - 0 11 7 16 - 34 Placer - 7 14 7 21 - 49 Placer: Alex Lopez 8 run (Diego Rosel kick) LC: Xavier Reyes 21 field goal Placer: Shaun Jones 15 run (Rosel kick) Placer: Keilin Beverage 21 pass from Liam Grant (Rosel kick) LC: Keian Smith 95 kick return (Levi Ramos run) LC: Ryan Eddy 2 run (Reyes kick) Placer: Jones 43 run (Rosel kick) Placer: Jones 1 run (Rosel kick) Placer: Jones 14 run (Rosel kick) LC: Josiyah Horton 6 run (Eddy run) Placer: Jones 18 run (Rosel kick) LC: Koa Jones 47 pass from Jayden Debbs (Jones pass from Debbs)