Big Bone game moves from Thanksgiving
High school football: Lincoln tops San Jose in late summer game.
The stands at Lincoln High were filled with ravenous students and alumni for the 78th rendition of the Big Bone game against San Jose.
But this wasn’t a Thursday morning. It certainly wasn’t Thanksgiving.
It was Friday night on Labor Day weekend, with no turkey dinner awaiting those returning home after a 56-12 victory by Lincoln — a 23rd straight win for the Lions in the storied matchup that dates back nearly eight decades and was the oldest Thanksgiving rivalry game west of Missouri.
“It’s different,” said Gene Dawson, a former coach for both schools now-turned spectator who took the field to congratulate Lincoln coach Kevin Collins. “My first game was in 1948, … but it was time. We ran it out and Kevin was the man, he kept this game going the last 15 to 20 years.
“Thanksgiving is over and we’re on to Labor Day weekend — and the Bone is still alive.”
Frank Strouse vows he’s never missed a Big Bone game.
The 80-year-old with 20/20 vision is a former three-time participant in the rivalry — Lincoln, class of ‘59. Now he roams the sidelines with a camera for the sake of posterity.
This week his wife asked Strouse if it would feel funny not to eat turkey after the Big Bone game.
“It’s not going to be the same, but people are still coming out,” Strouse said. “That tradition hasn’t died since 1943, it’s always been there. It just keeps on going.”
Lincoln senior Amari Glass-Dillard will never forget the first Labor Day clash between the schools.
The 5-foot-7, 225-pound bowling ball was a clear crowd favorite by the roars after touchdown runs of 3 of 32 yards late in the first half, as the Lions (1-0) led by a resounding 49-6 at intermission.
But instead of immediately joining his teammates in the locker room, there was the matter of his halftime duties as homecoming king.
“It’s surreal,” Glass-Dillard said. “It doesn’t even feel real to me.”
Lincoln quarterback Tayden Phillips displayed his versatility with a 38-yard punt return to the house, an 84-yard scamper into the end zone and a 20-yard TD pass to senior Thomas Crawford.
Fellow junior Salvador Espinoza also didn’t hold back with a 40-yard TD run on the fourth snap of the game and a kickoff return for a score in the first half.
San Jose (0-2) avoided the shutout after backup quarterback Raul Sandoval hit a wide-open Hugo Vega on a 19-yard fade with 5:03 left in the second quarter. Vega also hauled in a 34-yard pass in the fourth quarter to set up Sandoval’s 3-yard TD toss to Mike Guzman.
SAN BENITO 22, NO. 18 WILCOX 18>> Wilcox suffered its second straight loss to open the season when it allowed San Benito to erase a 12-7 deficit with back-to-back touchdowns. San Benito scored a touchdown and made the 2-point conversion for a 15-12 lead at the half, then pushed the advantage to 2212 with another score in the third quarter. Luther Glenn’s second touchdown of the night, a 50-yard run with about five minutes left, cut the score to the final margin.
LEIGH 41, GILROY 0 >> Aiden Williams threw three touchdown passes to Aiden Goo as the Longhorns stretched their winning streak to seven games dating to the spring with an impressive victory on the road. Leigh built a 27-0 halftime lead and maintained the momentum through the second half to improve to 2-0. Williams finished 23 of 30 passing for 265 yards. He also ran for a TD. Goo caught eight passes for 97 yards. Sophomore Carter Williams had seven tackles and Jacob Empringham had five tackles and a sack to lead the defense. PROSPECT 43, DEL MAR 20 >> Prospect led 31-8 by halftime and racked up 515 total yards of offense over the course of an eventual win, improving to 2-0 this season. Junior QB Kaiden Hoapili completed 11 of 17 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns, while senior WR Andre Jackson netted triple-digit yardage on the ground (104) and through the air (123).
SANTA TERESA 27, BRANHAM 21>> Coach Steve Papin called it a team effort after his new school, Santa Teresa, built a 21-0 lead on the road and held on for a nail-biting victory. “It was a stressful one,
but they persevered and got us through it,” Papin said after his team forced four turnovers but turned over the ball twice in the red zone. SILVER CREEK 54, EVERGREEN VALLEY 6 >> Silver Creek, playing on its home field Sept. 2, built a 40-0 lead in the first quarter and led 47-6 at halftime. Six players scored touchdowns for the Raiders, who beat Woodside 47-18 in their season opener last week. Mathias Jakob Legrande Carrillo, a 5-11, 180-pound junior, began the rout with a 50-yard TD run. He later scored on a 24-yard run.
WESTMONT 35, MT. PLEASANT 0 >> Westmont rolled on its home field as Elijah Monroe scored three touchdowns. Zackary Zepeda threw four TD passes, and the defense had 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, leading the Warriors to a 2-0 start.
WILLOW GLEN 14, SARATOGA 0 >> Willow Glen evened its record at 1-1 with an impressive defensive performance on its home field on Thursday. Junior Cooper Nixon and senior Preston Bursch accounted for the Rams’ touchdowns. Nixon scored on a 42-yard run in the first quarter, with QB Chris Meissner running in a twopoint conversion. Nixon finished with 163 yards in 17 carries. Bursch reached the end zone on an 11-yard run in the fourth.