LODI FLAMES OUT AGAINST TRACY; TIGERS, HAWKS LOSE
Logan Stout and his Lodi High football teammates were looking to produce some more big plays that would lead to a big Tri-City Athletic League win.
But the Tracy High football squad came up with a bigger play at the right time. That gave the Bulldogs a thrilling 48-35 win over Lodi at the Grape Bowl on Friday.
After Tracy made it 42-35 with 3:42 left in the third quarter, Lodi (1-3 in the TCAL, 5-4) took the kickoff return and moved the chains. That included runs from Stout, who had a combined 146 yards of scoring offense in the first half, plus running backs Christian Zamora and Jose Bravo. That allowed the Flames to move the football from their own 38-yard line to the Bulldogs’ 41.
Then Lodi had a fourth down and 12 at the Tracy 41. But a loss of 13 yards on a rushing play led to the Flames giving up the football on loss of downs.
“Hey man, we knew that we had the lead and had to sustain drives and keep on scoring every drive,” said Lodi coach George Duenas. “They are tough. They are gifted, offensively. It’s one of those games, back and forth. The boys gave it their all.”
Now with the football in its possession, Tracy (22 in the TCAL, 3-6) increased its lead to 48-35 when running back Chase Henderson capped a 54-yard drive on a 3-yard run with 7:36 left in the game. Matthew Giuliacci booted the extra-point.
“We stress ball security all the time,” said Tracy coach Matt Shrout. “It’s just one of those things that it worked out well for us.”
Lodi reached Tracy territory again after the kickoff. A possession that started at their own 37 and moved to the Bulldog 2, the Flames saw this offensive drive go up in smoke when Tracy defensive back Tommy Chavez picked off a Stout pass in the end zone.
Lodi led 28-26 at halftime. Tracy and the Flames traded touchdowns in the third quarter before the
last 18 minutes became thrilling for the fans at the Grape Bowl.
The Bulldogs made it 34-28 with 9:59 left in the third when Henderson scored his first touchdown of the game, also a 3-yard run.
Then Stout and the Flames responded on their next offensive possession to take a 35-34 lead with 8:03 on the clock. Stout connected with running back Angelo Zazzarino on a 38-yard pass. Adolfo Sanchez booted the extra-point that gave Lodi its final lead of the game.
“He had played lights out,” said Duenas of Stout. “Guys played well. Not just him as an individual, but as a team we all played well.”
In the second quarter, Lodi and Tracy took turns scoring on the other’s defense. Tracy led 12-7 until there was 11:15 left in the quarter when Stout, scrambling out of the pocket and having his jersey grabbed when it looked like he was going to be sacked, found Zamora up the middle. Then Zamora zig-zagged between four Tracy players, worked his way down the Lodi sideline for a 26-yard touchdown reception. Sanchez also booted the extrapoint to make it 14-12.
Tracy quarterback Logan Fife, who has committed to Fresno State University, hit Trevor Pope II on a 45-yard score to give the Bulldogs a 20-14 lead.
Pope II left the game after he scored when he injured his right forearm while catching the football on the east side of the end zone.
Lodi responded back again. Using his legs this time, Stout broke away from a group of Bulldog players at the Lodi 13, found his way down the Lodi sideline and raced toward the west end zone for an 87-yard score with 7:44 on the clock that gave Lodi a 21-20 lead.
“That guy is very talented,” said Duenas of Fife. “You can see why he’s going to Division I (college).”
Tracy took a 26-21 lead when running back Riley Revino, who was ejected from the game after arguing with a game official early in the third quarter, scored on a 2-yard run with 5:41 left on the clock. Stout countered with a 21-yard quarterback keeper on fourth-and-one that gave the Flames a 28-26 lead.
Lodi scored its first touchdown on its first offensive possession in the first quarter. Rolling out of the pocket, Stout found Zamora for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 7:20 on the clock. Sanchez booted the extra-point for a 7-0 score.
Tracy only needed one play to score. Fife hit Pope II on a 67-yard pass just 14 seconds after Lodi scored. But the Bulldogs’ extra-point kick was no good that led to Lodi hanging onto a 7-6 lead.
At 3:07 later in the quarter, Tracy took a 12-7 lead when Revino scored his first touchdown on a 1yard run up the middle. Once again, the Bulldogs’ extra-point kick was no good.
Above: Lodi quarterback Logan Stout evades Tracy’s defense on his way to a touchdown during Friday’s loss at the Grape Bowl in Lodi. Below: Lodi's Jose Fonseca tackles Tracy's Logan Fife.
Lodi's Christian Zamora is pursued by Tracy's Riley Revino before scoring a touchdown at the Grape Bowl on Friday.