Inderkum Heads To 3rd Round Of Playoffs

Offensive Line Paves Way For 10 Touchdowns

BY TREVOR HORN
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

The biggest players on the field eat the most, say the least and get the smallest amount of credit printed about them in football.

But when a team rushes for 525 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns—praises for the offensive line come out, especially for Inderkum High School, as the Tigers advance to the third round of the Sac–Joaquin Section playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a 69-47 road win over Sierra High School in Manteca tonight, Nov. 16.

“The five guys up front made it happen,” Inderkum head coach Terry Stark. “These guys have been the rock of our program for two years.”

Three running backs for Inderkum eclipsed the 100-yard mark, including a career night for Brandon Powell. The senior bruising running back for Inderkum rushed for a career-high 202 yards and four touchdowns.

But when he spoke after the win, he grinned and thanked the boys up front.

“My line was blocking good for me and the coaches just kept giving me the rock and let me do my thing tonight,” Powell said. “But it was all the line tonight. They blocked excellent tonight.”

Stark added about his offensive line, “they are never late, they are always on time and they are ‘yes sir, no sir‘ type of guys. And they are undersized and overachievers and they out work everyone.”

Senior running back Josh Montes finished with 138 yards rushing and two touchdowns and junior Terence White finished with 178 rushing yards and a career-high four touchdowns.

Even White couldn’t stop from praising the offensive line.

“Our O-line put in work,” White said. “They know what they need to do. They made big holes.”

But even with the offensive output, the play of the game came on the defensive end for Inderkum.

Up 55-41 the Tigers defense was being pressed by an equally potent offense of Sierra, White intercepted a Jake Pruitt pass near the end zone for Inderkum. It was the second interception of the night.

Powell scored his fourth touchdown on the ensuing drive to cap off the victory for Inderkum.

“That was the game,” Stark said. “They score and get an onside kick, anything could happen. It could be Yuba City all over again before we know it. So we had to have that stop. Then we got to work the clock.”

The Tigers only loss in conference, and in the last six-plus seasons, came to Yuba City when the Honkers scored 14 unanswered fourth quarter points to beat the Tigers on Oct. 5.

Inderkum won the final five games of the season before beating Manteca in the first round.

The Tigers will face No.2 seed Vista del Lago at Folsom High School on Friday, Nov. 23 or Saturday, Nov. 24 in the third round. The Eagles scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to comeback from a 30-14 deficit to beat No. 10 seed El Camino in Folsom.

The winner will play in the section title game on Nov. 30.

Inderkum has not played in the title game since the 13-1 2009 season, losing to Del Campo 16-12.

But for Stark, having his players eating a light Thanksgiving Day meal sits just fine for the head coach.

“Practicing on Thanksgiving is a good thing, it means you have had a great year,” Stark said.


Inderkum 14 20 13 22 — 69

Sierra 7 14 13 13 — 47

Sierra-Cota 4 yard run (Gonzalez kick) 7-0 6:22 1

Inderkum Powell 1 yd run (Spencer Kick) 7-7 3:33

Inderkum White 11 yd run (Spencer Kick no good)

Sierra Pruitt 41 yd run (Gonzales kick)

Inderkum Powell 5 yd run (2pt Conv good)

Inderkum Montes 14 yd run (Spencer kick good )

Sierra Cota 1 yd run (Gonzales kick good)

Inderkum Powell 5 yd run (run fail)

Sierra Cota pass to Conners 40yd (kick fail)

Inderkum Montes 9 yd run (Spencer kick)

Inderkum White 31 yd run (kick fail)

Sierra Cota pass to DeVillanueva (Gonzales kick)

Inderkum White 31 run (kick fail)

Inderkum White 6 yds(Montes run)

Sierra Pruitt to Lewis 65 yards (kick good)

Inderkum Powell 2 yd (Spencer kick)

Inderkum White 50 yard run (Spencer kick)

Sierra Nunez 59 yard run (kick fail)