Titans Keep the Ball Rolling, Make it Two Straight

The Hercules Titans continued their winning ways this week in the home of the San Rafael Bulldawgs, dominating both sides of the ball and cruising to a blowout 42-7 victory.

Hercules made their presence known early; following last week’s ground-and-pound approach against Tamalpais, the Titans continued to cut and slash through the Bulldawg defense, making it look easy and accumulating more than a couple big runs. Whether it was pounding the ball inside or diverting to the outside, it didn’t matter. Hercules found the ground game early and was a force to be reckoned with.

“We spread them out and hit they underneath,” said coach Gerald Montgomery. “They were looking for the sweeps and the counters all night so we just came inside.”

On defense, Hercules was a brick wall. With the exception of a crazy kickoff return in the first quarter, the Titans were able to contain the Bulldawgs all game long. The Bulldawgs would have their spurts, but Hercules quickly adapted and stopped the momentum. San Rafael’s passing game was nonexistent and the Bulldawgs had a big run every once-in-a-while, but at the end of the day, Hercules proved themselves to be a defensive powerhouse in this game. Add in a dominant special teams unit and the Hercules Titans found themselves a recipe for success.

“They [the defense] played great,” said Montgomery. “They kept us inspired and kept everything going.”

GAME RECAP

Hercules got off to a great start offensively, driving all the way down the field from their own 30-line and ending the possession in one-yard QB Sneak by junior Thomas Wright Jr. All seemed well, but on the kickoff, San Rafael took a jab of their own when the returner took the kickoff 90 yards to a house, tying up the game.

This kickoff could’ve demoralized the Titans, but it had an adverse effect; it got them charged up.

In the following possession, Hercules bounced back on a 25-yard rushing touchdown by junior Dieontae Malan, bringing their lead to 14-7.

The Hercules offense weren’t able to convert any scoring opportunities for the rest of the first half, but in the second half, the flood gates opened up.

With 11:11 left to go in the 3rd quarter, senior Earnest Jackson slashed through the San Rafael defense and cruised into the end zone on a 40-yard rush.

This wouldn’t be the last time Jackson made some noise on the ground.

Only three minutes later, Jackson toyed with the Bulldogs and reached the end zone on 15-yard rush, effectively making the Hercules lead 28-7.

Jackson wasn’t done yet. After a big defensive stop, Jackson took a punt from San Rafael’s own 40 to the house, increasing the Hercules lead to 35-7.

“I just had to come out and do what I had to do,” Jackson said.

Towards the end of the game, an strange series of events took place. With four minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, Hercules was called for five straight penalties, which took away three touchdowns and backed them up from the 15 to the 45.

This never fazed the Hercules offense and they were able to put the icing on the cake when Malan struck again, this time with a 38-yard run, to bring their lead to the eventual final score of 42-7.

“I don’t think they wanted us to score anymore,” said coach Montgomery.

Hercules is on the road again next week against Rodriguez High School. Rodriguez has dropped two straight, this week a crushing 49-0 loss against Vanden High School. Hercules beat Rodriguez last year 13-12.

“I hope we’re not overconfident,” said coach Montgomery. “I’m trying to keep them humble.”

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