SAN JOSE - Visiting Branham scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from Santa Teresa for the 28-7 victory on Friday night.
In the Bruins' second straight game against a team from the Mt. Hamilton Division, Branham went into the half tied at seven, thanks to a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter by Cameron Rynhard. Santa Teresa (0-2) tied the game in the second quarter on a 14-yard scoring pass to Joseph Robledo.
The third quarter was the turning point for Branham (2-0), and the defense sparked the scoring run. First, junior Jacob Meza notched his second interception of the season, and though the Bruins did not score following the turnover, it did flip field position in favor of Branham, and when Carter Jones recovered a fumble at the Saints' 24-yard line, the Bruins were in business. That drive concluded with a six-yard scoring run by Rynhard, with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter for a 14-7 lead. Rynhard would end up topping the 100-yard mark for the second straight game to open the season, carrying the ball 20 times for 105 yards and two scores.
"We made some adjustments to our blocking scheme at the half, and we put some guys back in on the line who we had been holding out. We're a little banged up there and wanted to limit their snaps, but once we did those two things, it really helped us out," said Branham coach Stephen Johnson. "Our defense also just played tremendous for the second game in a row."
The Bruins added to the lead late in the third quarter, after their defense held on fourth down at their own 46-yard line. From there, quarterback Nick Bandanza marched his team 54 yards, capped by his own four-yard rushing touchdown. Bandanza completed the scoring midway through the fourth quarter with an 11-yard scoring pass to Tristan Vanitegem, who had four catches for 36 yards. Bandanza finished with 48 yards on the ground to go with 121 yards on 14-of-23 passing.
In addition to his fumble recovery, Jones was a standout all day on defense. He finished the night with three sacks, four quarterback hurries and a pass break-up, giving him five sacks in the first two weeks.
Branham hosts Andrew Hill on Friday, while Santa Teresa seeks its first win at home against Del Mar.
