Pierce takes home Rice Bowl trophy

Pierce High needed just 75 seconds to take control of the Rice Bowl en route to beating rival Williams 41-0 on Friday at McCarl Field.

On the first play from scrimmage, Pierce linebacker Preston Smith scooped up a dropped backwards pass by the Yellowjackets and ran 25 yards for a touchdown just 17 seconds into the game.

A botched snap on Williams' first offensive play after the kickoff was recovered by Gabe Anderson and gave the Bears the ball on the Yellowjackets' 18-yard line. Three plays later, Andy Corona punched it in from 2 yards out for a 14-0 lead.

The Bears (4-0) entered the game riding a three-game win streak while the Yellowjackets (1-3) were shut out in their previous two games after opening the season with a victory against Los Molinos.

Pierce claimed the Rice Bowl trophy last season with a 40-6 victory and now owns a 49-28-5 edge in the series after the win on Friday. Though the Bears own a significant lead in the overall series, the Yellowjackets have had some recent success, winning three of the five previous contests before this year.

The two teams first played each other in 1927, but the Rice Bowl moniker has only been around for about 15 years, according to MaxPreps senior writer Kevin Askeland.

Despite the 85 years of history between the teams, the Pierce players have their sights set on returning to the playoffs and repeating as Sacramento Valley League champions. To do so, the Bears' coaches made sure the players didn't underestimate the Yellowjackets.

"We preached all week and all year that we have to treat every game the same because we know how tough our league is, we need to treat it like we're playing Willows every single game," offensive coordinator Chuck Wayman said.

"Business-like, is what we said all week. This is a business trip," Pierce offensive coordinator Chuck Wayman said.

After Pierce took a quick 14-0 lead, the Yellowjackets regrouped on the next drive when Freddy Cervantes found Tony Boites for a 40-yard pass, but the drive stalled out and Corona extended the Bears' lead with a 16-yard touchdown run with a minute left in the first quarter.

"It always feels like a big game coming into a rivalry game, no matter what. No matter what their record is, we always come in here like it's 0-0," Corona said.

Nate Smith burst through the middle on a quarterback keeper for a 39-yard touchdown run at the start of the second quarter and Hayden Kalfsbeek added a 20-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 34-0 lead with 8:35 remaining in the first half.

Joey Hernandez closed out the scoring by slashing through the middle for a 45-yard touchdown with just over 5 minutes remaining for Pierce (4-0).

Neither team scored in the second half, which was shortened by a running clock, but the Yellowjackets (1-3) were able to move the ball on the Bears' reserves.

Five Pierce players rushed for more than 30 yards and none more than 56, as the Bears had 233 rushing yards as a team.

Nate Smith carried the ball seven times for 56 yards and a touchdown; Adolfo Ramirez added 11 carries and 56 yards; Kalfsbeek rushed three times for 45 yards and a touchdown; Hernandez went for 43 yards and a touchdown on three carries; and Corona rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith completed 2 of 3 passes for 39 yards, connecting with Oscar Sanchez on a 25-yard pass play and Jesus Huerta on a 14-yard strike.

Diego Navarro led the Yellowjacket attack with 62 yards on six carries before leaving the game with a leg injury in the second half. Tony Boites rushed nine times for 27 yards and caught all three of quarterback Freddy Cervantes' completions for 45 yards.

Edgar Del Horno and David Camarena recorded sacks for the Yellowjackets.

Pierce stays in Colusa County next week with a game in Colusa against the RedHawks (2-1) and Williams travels to Redding to take on University Prep (1-3). Colusa defeated University Prep 55-41 on Friday.

CONTACT Kirk Barron at 458-2121 or kbarron@tcnpress.com