Broncos close out football season with 90-6 rout of Shandon
In the week leading up to the Coast Union Broncos’ football game Friday night, Oct. 27, against the Shandon Outlaws, there were rumors that the Outlaws didn’t have enough players to field an eight-man team. But the Outlaws arrived at Coast Union with 11 players, and notwithstanding the dearth of Shandon’s talent, the game was played.
The end result was an embarrassingly lopsided 90-6 victory for the Broncos. It turns out to also be a bit controversial, because several local individuals contacted me (as the broadcaster and sports journalist that covers Coast sports) and asked how it the Broncos could have “run up” the score against an obviously underachieving, undermanned team.
Coast Union offensive coordinator Charlie Casale disputed the charge that Coast “ran up” the score on Shandon. Casale pointed out several facts about the game:
▪ Coast normally runs 65 plays a game but only ran 32 against Shandon.
▪ The Broncos began substituting reserve players in the second quarter.
▪ A running clock (the “mercy” rule) began early in the second half.
▪ The second team, when substituted for the starters, played “very, very hard,” because it was “their chance, and they made the best of it.”
▪ Coast scored twice on pass interceptions and once on a kick return; and Coast did not throw a pass in the second half.
“People with all the questions should experience a game live …,” Casale said.
Meanwhile, Damien Fernandez led the Broncos (who finished with a 3-1 record in the Coast Valley League) in rushing yardage Friday night: He scored four touchdowns and gained 304 yards. Riley Kennedy, wearing a cast on his right hand to protect his broken thumb, caught passes totaling 67 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Quarterback Emany Plasencia passed for 75 yards (including a touchdown) and scored three touchdowns on runs totaling 23 yards. Eddie Camacho scored two touchdowns and gained 53 yards rushing. Juan Mejia rushed for 62 yards and scored a touchdown.
On defense, Christian Castillo scored a touchdown on a 35-yard interception. Brian Bautista and Camacho each had six tackles; Camacho had four assists, and Bautista had three sacks. Dillyn Barbosa and Mejia each had three tackles; Spencer Magnuson, Gabe Terrasas, Kennedy and Carlos Torres snagged a pair of tackles.
Casale added, “We had excellent practices all season, and the kids all improved. They learned a lot about the game. Emany (Plasencia) improved tremendously as QB, as well as the entire team. He will be the QB for the future.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Broncos close out football season with 90-6 rout of Shandon."