THUNDERBIRDS RING THE BELL
Thunderbirds win rivalry game for second straight year against Oroville High Tigers
Oroville and Las Plumas met for their annual rivalry game to determine which team would ring the Victory Bell — and have bragging rights until next year. The two teams played at Harrison Stadium in Oroville and the Las Plumas Thunderbirds won the honor of taking the bell home for the second straight year with a 47-0 shutout. Read more on the game in
Las Plumas defeated cross-town rival Oroville 47-0 Friday at Harrison Stadium, retaining the Victory Bell for a second straight season.
The matchup is traditionally held on the final week of the season, however in 2021 the matchup was held in week four due to league scheduling, according to LP coach Tim Harles. Harles said he tried to work towards getting it to the end of the season but was unable.
The Thunderbirds came out wearing No. 1 decals on their helmets in honor of former Las Plumas quarterback Riley Roullett who died in late June in a single-car crash in Marysville.
Roullett graduated in June and led LP to its first Victory Bell win since 2017 on April 23, his final game with the team. Friday, Roullett’s childhood best friend and LP senior Emanuel Medrano changed his number from No. 32 and instead wore Roullett’s No. 1 jersey.
“Coming out here knowing that we won the bell last year
and knowing how much of a struggle it was and all the hard work we put into it, coming out here tonight we wanted to win it for Riley,” Medrano said. “We put in a lot of heart and extra work trying to focus this week coming in here and had a strong mindset.”
In the first quarter, Oroville’s offense took to the field behind new quarterback Peyton Frasure. Oroville began the game with the ball and converted on a long fourth down, before LP’s defense got a stop on a second fourth down try. Frasure brought a mobile aspect to the Tiger offense, however it was not quite enough to put enough to put any points on the board.
LP’s offense scored all seven of its touchdowns rushing the ball. Thunderbirds quarterback Jacob Stroud began the scoring with a 22-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter following a pair of offsides calls on the Oroville defense.
In quarter two, Las Plumas running back Eric Ayala scored three separate times, first from 50 yards, a second score from 1-yard out and a third with 2 minutes and 14 seconds until halftime from 9 yards away.
On the next Oroville possession, Andrew Merrifield got an interception and returned
it 30 yards to the Oroville 6-yard line, and Ethan Hutcheson ran it in to give Las Plumas a 34-0 lead at halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter for both teams, halfway through the fourth quarter Merrifield got his turn on offense, running it in from 13 yards away for a touchdown.
After an interception by Gavyn Graeff, LP added one more score with 2:30 to go on a 4-yard touchdown
rush by Xavier Borja to up increase the lead to 47-0.
Stroud said he has been playing with the same players since his sophomore year, and this year’s team feels the most like family and has the best team chemistry he has experienced. With a full team on both the freshman and junior varsity teams as well as a 35-man varsity team, he hopes to keep the winning tradition alive.
“It means a lot because
we’re setting the standards for our program,” Stroud said about winning the Victory Bell in both his junior and senior years. “We started something good and the underclassmen are going to keep coming up.”
Las Plumas (3-1) will play on the road next at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Enterprise.
Oroville (0-4) plays next at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Anderson at Harrison Stadium.