The Vaqueros of El Capitan looked sharp on both sides of the ball versus the Lancers of Hilltop High School on Aug. 23 en route to a dominating 28 – 0 victory. They played the final of four total scrimmage games in the Gridiron Kickoff Classic hosted at Francis Parker School. Senior quarterback Brad Cagle and senior receiver Isaiah Capoocia, whose combined efforts contributed to an efficient day on the offensive side of the ball, led the Vaqueros.
The Vaqueros of El Capitan looked sharp on both sides of the ball versus the Lancers of Hilltop High School on Aug. 23 en route to a dominating 28 – 0 victory. They played the final of four total scrimmage games in the Gridiron Kickoff Classic hosted at Francis Parker School. Senior quarterback Brad Cagle and senior receiver Isaiah Capoocia, whose combined efforts contributed to an efficient day on the offensive side of the ball, led the Vaqueros.
The only mistake on the day by Cagle was an unlucky interception off a tip on their opening drive. The defense responded with a quick turnover on downs and giving the ball back to the offense. This early mistake was forgotten quickly as Cagle led a balanced assault down the field, eventually resulting in a touchdown by senior running back Dennis Smith.
Hilltop responded quickly with a long drive. Quarterback Daniel Sanchez dumped off a short screen to senior running back Angel Pineda for a long gain along the sideline. The Vaqueros quickly tightened up its defense and stymied the Lancers momentum, leading to another turnover on downs.
Vaquero offense carried the momentum of the defensive stop and scored on the very next play. A quick handoff to Capoocia gave him enough space to float past several shaken Lancers. Once Capoocia was given a little running room it was a footrace along the El Capitan sideline that didn’t stop until he reached the end zone—70 yards later.
At half, El Capitan held a decisive 21 – 0 lead, but the team did not ease on the breaks. On the first drive of the second half, Cagle kept the sticks moving with intermediate passes and effective between the tackles running. Cagle topped off the long drive with a 20-yard out pattern caught by a wide-open receiver for a touchdown.
The senior, who passed for nearly 2,800 yards last season, felt his “offense clicked” for the amount of time the first string was in and put up points nearly every drive. There were some early “jitters,” but are the team is confidant moving forward into the season.
In the end, El Cap prevailed.
