Sweetwater High quarterback Adam Aguon admitted after last night's game he became overconfident.
After starting the night with five pass completions for 97 yards and a rushing touchdown, Aguon couldn't have been worse in the second half.
“Maybe I got too cocky,” said Aguon, who couldn't connect on five pass attempts and threw an interception in the second half before his night was cut short by a head injury. “I didn't really play well.”
In last night's 23-0 victory over Olympian high, the Red Devils' night mimicked their quarterback's. After scoring 23 points in the first half and tallying more than 200 total yards, Sweetwater failed to score in the second half and had two touchdowns called back because of penalties.
“The first half we played like we had it,” Red Devils coach Tony Garcia said. “We were moving the ball well, we ran the ball well, and we knew we could run the ball. But in the second half, it kind of slowed down.”
Early in the third quarter, Sweetwater running back Jose Martinez had a 70-yard punt return called back because of offsetting personal fouls. In the fourth quarter, the Red Devils had two big plays negated by holding penalties.
“It's a bit disappointing,” said Sweetwater running back David Fuerte, who had a 64-yard touchdown run called back. “But we were up, so as long as I get a win, I'm happy.”
Despite a shaky second half, Sweetwater (4-5, 3-2) rode its defense to preserve its 23-point lead. The Red Devils recorded two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery to preserve the shutout.
“I wish it had been a better half, but overall most of the kids played well,” Garcia said. “Our defense did a great job and that just kept us going.”
The Eagles (5-4, 2-3) could not get anything going all night. Running back Dre Gibson, who came into the game averaging 8.4 yards per carry, got 18 yards on eight carries. Olympian's starting quarterback, Ryan Van Nostrand, was benched in the third quarter after completing just 3-of-8 passes for 14 yards and an interception.
“We wanted to send a message at the beginning of the game to the playoffs,” Garcia said. “We haven't been to the playoffs in a long time so we want to be able to do that.”
Garcia said Sweetwater's upcoming bye week will allow the team to learn from last night's poor second half.
“You have to keep analyzing and reassessing who you are as a player and a coach,” Garcia said. “We can get it back together.”
