http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1w46-kb_nA
Buccaneers lock down Hornets after half to stay undefeated
Friday night against Lincoln, Mission Bay quarterback Dillon Baxter delivered the first and last blow to the Hornets. In between, the Buccaneers relied on a stout defensive effort in the second half to pull off a 41-34 comeback win.
“That boosted our confidence way up because people were saying we hadn’t played anybody,” Baxter said. “This proves to everybody that we’re not some scrub team, that we can hang with the big boys.”
Emotions were running high before the game and in the minutes leading up to kickoff, Baxter took things to another level. With both sides watching, he jogged out to the middle of the field and emphatically slammed the ball in the middle of Lincoln’s midfield logo, which Hornets players were not too happy about.
“I just wanted to set the tone for the game and let them know that no one is scared of them,” Baxter said. “They’ve been saying all week that I’ve been scared to play bigger teams and I wanted to prove to them I wasn’t scared.”
Baxter backed up his brazen move on the field, throwing for 268 yards and rushing for another 277. Baxter scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run with 4:59 left and sealed the victory with an interception with less than two minutes to play.
“Lincoln is a very good team and without a doubt the best team we’ve played so far,” Baxter said.
In the first half, Lincoln’s aerial attack was too much for Mission Bay. The Hornets had scoring drives of one and three plays in the opening quarter and led 17-7 after one. With 6:52 to play in the half, Lincoln quarterback Jake Marrion connected with Victor Dean for a three-yard touchdown – Dean’s fourth score of the half – and the Hornets were ahead 31-14.
“They had a hard time stopping us early and they really made some good adjustments,” said Lincoln head coach Ron Hamamoto.
Although Mission Bay scored on a 22-yard Baxter run before halftime, it didn’t look like the Buccaneers’ defense would be able to stop the Hornets. But that changed after the break.
“The intensity was up as soon as we hit the locker room,” Baxter said. “We talked about how we needed to beat the team and who we needed to key on.”
Mission Bay changed up their defensive scheme in the second half and it paid off. The Bucs held Lincoln to only three points after halftime and pitched a shutout in the final quarter.
“We had a whole package we saved in the second half in terms of pressure,” said Mission Bay defensive coordinator Mel Galli. “We started blitzing safeties and that made a big difference. It seemed to throw them off.”
While Mission Bay’s defense stymied the Lincoln attack, their offense slowly chipped away at the 13-point deficit. The Buccaneers eventually tied the game with 9:40 left on a 99-yard scoring drive. On the drive, Baxter had a 66-yard third-down run and capped the drive with a 27-yard pass to receiver Ray Herring.
“I knew they had the weapons to come back,” Hamamoto said. “I was just hoping that we could keep it going.”
Following a Lincoln punt, Mission Bay marched 76 yards down the field to take the lead. Baxter’s touchdown run would be enough for the defense, which stopped the Hornets twice in the final two and a half minutes.
“We took it to them,” Baxter said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”
Last year, Mission Bay finished the preseason 2-3 and was still trying to find its identity. This year the Buccaneers will head into Western League play still perfect, due largely to the leadership of Baxter.
“We have miles and miles of heart and our work ethic is way better. We’re much more of a team and we do more stuff as a team,” Baxter said. “I’m excited for this season and I can’t wait to see where we end up.”
Next Friday, Mission Bay (5-0) will look to ruin a second-straight Homecoming when they play Point Loma (3-1) under the lights. Things don’t get any easier for Lincoln (3-1-1) who hosts Cathedral Catholic and their 26-game winning streak.
Mission Bay quarterback Dillon Baxter sees a target downfield. Baxter was a part of all six Buccaneer touchdowns Friday night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1w46-kb_nA
Buccaneers lock down Hornets after half to stay undefeated
Friday night against Lincoln, Mission Bay quarterback Dillon Baxter delivered the first and last blow to the Hornets. In between, the Buccaneers relied on a stout defensive effort in the second half to pull off a 41-34 comeback win.
“That boosted our confidence way up because people were saying we hadn’t played anybody,” Baxter said. “This proves to everybody that we’re not some scrub team, that we can hang with the big boys.”
Emotions were running high before the game and in the minutes leading up to kickoff, Baxter took things to another level. With both sides watching, he jogged out to the middle of the field and emphatically slammed the ball in the middle of Lincoln’s midfield logo, which Hornets players were not too happy about.
“I just wanted to set the tone for the game and let them know that no one is scared of them,” Baxter said. “They’ve been saying all week that I’ve been scared to play bigger teams and I wanted to prove to them I wasn’t scared.”
Baxter backed up his brazen move on the field, throwing for 268 yards and rushing for another 277. Baxter scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run with 4:59 left and sealed the victory with an interception with less than two minutes to play.
“Lincoln is a very good team and without a doubt the best team we’ve played so far,” Baxter said.
In the first half, Lincoln’s aerial attack was too much for Mission Bay. The Hornets had scoring drives of one and three plays in the opening quarter and led 17-7 after one. With 6:52 to play in the half, Lincoln quarterback Jake Marrion connected with Victor Dean for a three-yard touchdown – Dean’s fourth score of the half – and the Hornets were ahead 31-14.
“They had a hard time stopping us early and they really made some good adjustments,” said Lincoln head coach Ron Hamamoto.
Although Mission Bay scored on a 22-yard Baxter run before halftime, it didn’t look like the Buccaneers’ defense would be able to stop the Hornets. But that changed after the break.
“The intensity was up as soon as we hit the locker room,” Baxter said. “We talked about how we needed to beat the team and who we needed to key on.”
Mission Bay changed up their defensive scheme in the second half and it paid off. The Bucs held Lincoln to only three points after halftime and pitched a shutout in the final quarter.
“We had a whole package we saved in the second half in terms of pressure,” said Mission Bay defensive coordinator Mel Galli. “We started blitzing safeties and that made a big difference. It seemed to throw them off.”
While Mission Bay’s defense stymied the Lincoln attack, their offense slowly chipped away at the 13-point deficit. The Buccaneers eventually tied the game with 9:40 left on a 99-yard scoring drive. On the drive, Baxter had a 66-yard third-down run and capped the drive with a 27-yard pass to receiver Ray Herring.
“I knew they had the weapons to come back,” Hamamoto said. “I was just hoping that we could keep it going.”
Following a Lincoln punt, Mission Bay marched 76 yards down the field to take the lead. Baxter’s touchdown run would be enough for the defense, which stopped the Hornets twice in the final two and a half minutes.
“We took it to them,” Baxter said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”
Last year, Mission Bay finished the preseason 2-3 and was still trying to find its identity. This year the Buccaneers will head into Western League play still perfect, due largely to the leadership of Baxter.
“We have miles and miles of heart and our work ethic is way better. We’re much more of a team and we do more stuff as a team,” Baxter said. “I’m excited for this season and I can’t wait to see where we end up.”
Next Friday, Mission Bay (5-0) will look to ruin a second-straight Homecoming when they play Point Loma (3-1) under the lights. Things don’t get any easier for Lincoln (3-1-1) who hosts Cathedral Catholic and their 26-game winning streak.
Mission Bay quarterback Dillon Baxter sees a target downfield. Baxter was a part of all six Buccaneer touchdowns Friday night.