UNION CITY, Calif. - James Logan was giving Moreau Catholic's offense fits during Friday night's battle in Union City, blowing up the Mariners' off-tackle power play and keeping things close in the first half. All that changed on the first play of the third quarter, allowing Moreau to pull away for a 42-14 victory which should go a long way in the Mission Valley Athletic League title race.
On the first offensive play of the second half, Moreau Catholic junior Fresh Ison headed towards the same off-tackle hole which had been plugged throughout the first half. This time, however, instead of trying to kick out the defensive end, Mariners' fullback Russell Winston III pinned him inside, allowing Ison to bounce around his block and dash 95 yards to paydirt, and a 14-6 lead. His touchdown triggered a run of 28 straight points for Moreau, who improved to 5-0 for the season.
"We adjusted at halftime to what they were doing, and sent the tackle to the linebacker, and let Russell (Winston) seal the end," Ison said. "We caught them with eight guys in the box, and I just bounced it outside, and got a great block out there from Lovelace (Rufus). I saw green and I just kept going."
The scores kept coming in the third quarter for the Mariners, as Nicolas Ledesma added a one-yard touchdown and Ison dashed 44 yards on the first play of the ensuing possession to give Moreau a 35-6 lead.
"We realized we needed to pick it up in the second half," Ison said. "They had some momentum at halftime, and we needed to get that back on our side."
Neither team scored in the first quarter, in a game hyped by many as the likely MVAL title game, and the first league game for James Logan since 2011. Moreau quarterback Bowen Dickstein hit Ledesma for a seven-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, but the Colts responded before the break with a 37-yard touchdown run from Chase Sims, making it a 7-6 game at the half.
Ison had 15 yards rushing through the first two quarters, but wound up finishing the game with 218 yards on the ground, a week after sitting out against Middletown so he could nurse a banged-up shoulder and be healthy for the start of the league schedule. Max Anderson punctuated the win with an 85-yard interception return, which came after Logan quarterback Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu scored from three yards out, part of a 130-yard night on the ground for the sophomore.
The victory not only keeps Moreau unbeaten under new head coach Rob Gatrell, but now has them atop the MVAL standings. Logan falls to 2-3, 0-1 with the loss. The Colts look to bounce back at home next week against winless Newark Memorial, while Moreau hosts a winless Washington team.
