As it is at the end of every game, teammates embrace with hugs and handshakes. Friday night at Joe Debely Stadium was no different following Turlock’s dominant 35-0 win over Gregori of Modesto to open Central California Athletic League play, though the embraces felt a bit longer and stronger.
Emotions were indeed running high as the name of one man seemed to be on everybody’s mind — Coach Time Sitala. No matter what questions were posed to Turlock High’s players and coaches after the game, their answers almost always mentioned the longtime Bulldog offensive line coach whose absence made it hard for some to fully engage in the day’s homecoming festivities. Earlier this week, Sitala suffered a medical emergency, and has since been in the hospital in critical condition.
“It’s been a long, emotional day for these kids,” said head coach James Peterson. “These kids are coming off a tough, tough day at school where it’s homecoming and there’s so much stuff going on, whether it’s the rally in the morning, the parade, the game. These kids have had to be up with energy since 7 in the morning. And on top of that, having one of our coaches in the ICU can be really draining. So I’m proud of the way they came together as a team to get this win, but I also realize that we made some mistakes. It’s just been a lot for these guys.”
Some of the mistakes Peterson referred to were six first-half penalties, three drops, a fumble and countless instances when there was confusion on personnel. Nevertheless, the relentless aerial attack of freshman quarterback Scout Silva was enough to put the ‘Dogs ahead early and never look back.
On Turlock’s third play from scrimmage, Silva delivered a 59-yard strike to senior Junior Silva (no relation) to give themselves a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game. After a few empty possessions from both teams, Silva found senior Joseph Delte for a 24-yard score. Silva and Delte connected again for a 32-yard touchdown just before the half to put the Bulldogs up 21-0. After Jeremiah Stine’s 4-yard rushing score extended the lead to 28-0 at the end of the third quarter, Silva tossed a fourth touchdown, finding Landyn Fitzgerald from four yards out.
Silva (the quarterback) finished with 320 yards through the air after completing 15 of 23 passes. The other Silva racked up 105 yards on four receptions. Delta’s two touchdowns grabs, which totaled 56 yards, were his only two receptions of the game. He praised his teammates before dedicating the win to Sitala.
“Junior is my brother. It doesn’t matter who has more touchdowns or more yards, I'm going to support him, everyone to the fullest. I'm proud of him. I’m proud of everyone. This is a team win,” he said. “This was all for Coach Time as he goes through his stuff right now. It's not just an individual sport. This means more than just one player or stats, this is for our coach.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs swarmed throughout the night, limiting Gregori’s offense to 88 total yards. Silva (the wideout) proved to have just as good of hands on the defensive side as he intercepted Jaguars quarterback Emmanuel Vasquez twice. Andrew Sevilla, Dayne Hart and Tanner Linhares each recorded a sack on the dual-threat gunslinger.
The win pushed Turlock’s overall record to 3-3. As difficult as it may be with Sitala weighing heavy in their minds and hearts, they will look to improve to 2-0 in CCAL competition when they take on crosstown rival Pitman in the 21st edition of the Harvest Bowl next week. After losing to Downey (Modesto) by a 56-3 score on Friday, the Pride remain winless through six games.
