MORGAN HILL - After five straight losses on the field to start the season, Ann Sobrato has found its stride in BVAL-West Valley play, blanking San Jose 39-0 on Friday in the 'Dog Fight', in a game that was called with over 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Jordan Sheets threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, and junior running back Jesse Redmond ran the ball 14 times for 136 yards and a score, as Sobrato rolled up 453 yards of total offense in just over three quarters of play, while holding San Jose to fewer than 50 total yards. The game ended early, following a Jared Galocy rushing touchdown with 11:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"It took a little longer this season for our young team to get the concepts down, but it's starting to click," said Ann Sobrato coach Tony Holmes. "We had contributions from throughout the team - offensively, defensively, and on special teams."
Sobrato took control early, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, including a 61-yard touchdown pass from Sheets to Jason Martinez, who had three catches for 103 yards. Following an interception late in the first quarter - one of four turnovers forced by the Sobrato defense - Redmond added to the lead with a four-yard scoring run early in the second quarter, making it 20-0. San Jose embarked on its best drive of the game on its next possession, getting inside the Ann Sobrato red zone, but a fumble at the 15-yard line was recovered by Brian Zarate, ending the threat.
Just before halftime, Avi Negrete drilled a 40-yard field goal - the first of two for him during the game - to make it 23-0 at the break.
Jonathan Sheets led the defense with 10 tackles, including two tackles for a loss, and two sacks in the win, while Zarate had seven tackles, including two stops behind the line. Gunnar Verekeyen added a sack, forced a fumble, and recovered a loose ball.
With the win, Ann Sobrato improved to 3-4 overall (including a forfeit win over San Lorenzo Valley) and 2-1 in West Valley action, heading to Evergreen Valley next Friday night. San Jose fell to 1-6, 1-3, and hosts division leading Andrew Hill next week.
