Bolsa Grande Coach Doug Cooper talks to his players after the win. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OCSports Zone).
Bolsa Grande junior Anthony Bell made sure the Matadors got off to a great start Thursday night scoring a pair of quick touchdowns in the first quarter en route to his team’s 66-0 non-league victory over Savanna at Bolsa Grande.
It marked the first game for new Bolsa Grande head coach Doug Cooper, who watched his team bolt to a 57-0 lead at halftime.
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The entire third second half was played with a running clock as agreed upon by the coaching staffs of both teams. Typically, a running clock is used when one team has a 35-point lead in the fourth quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage, Bell ran 67 yards for a TD and Bolsa Grande added a two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. The Matadors got the ball right back and on the very first play of the next series, following a blocked punt, and Bell scored from 15 yards out to make it 15-0.
With a big lead, Bell wasn’t needed in the second half. He wound up rushing for 108 yards on 12 carries and four touchdowns for Bolsa Grande, coming off a 5-6 season in 2024.
“First two times I touched the ball, I was looking at the defense, my O-line, I have full trust in them, I watched them block and it was just open for me. I’m pretty glad I have my O-line, I love them and couldn’t have done it without them.”
Bell said he hasn’t had a game like Thursday.
“This junior year, I’m looking for something different,” he said. “New coach, new staff, it’s all coming together well. We got a good dynamic and the team is working together pretty well, I love them all.”
Cooper was expecting a big game from the junior.
“He’s been the cornerstone of our running game for the last two seasons,” said Cooper, who previously was an assistant at Bolsa Grande. “He told me today, ‘coach I want to hit somebody and I want to run’;” and he came out on fire, so we just kept feeding him.”
Bell also had a 3-yard TD run and a 2-yard TD run in the second quarter.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Cooper said. “Mostly, it’s my assistant coaches, they’re the ones who are really holding it down and making this thing possible. I’m just kind of overseeing it and lucky I have such a great staff.
“Everybody did their job, everybody was on fire and playing together. Everybody got in the game, we made sure of that so they get some reps. We wanted to make sure everyone is a part of this program.”
Many other Bolsa Grande players contributed to the win.
Nathan Bautista had a 27-yard interception return for a TD, Mikey Haley caught a 35-yard TD pass from quarterback Micheal Nguyen, Nathaniel Natalani Iosua Fiaputa recovered a fumble and returned the ball 21 yards for a score and Braden Maae scored on a 34-yard TD run to cap the first half.
Maae had another 34-yard TD run in the third quarter to make it 63-0 and Erick Ramos had a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Nguyen finished with 116 yards passing, mostly in the first half.
It was a tough night for Savanna from the start. The Rebels, coming off a 2-8 season, are looking to make strides this year under Coach Fred Emmerson.
But Savanna had no answer to stopping Bolsa Grande and couldn’t get much going offensively either.
Sophomore quarterback Nate Eich passed for 43 yards with an interception for the Rebels.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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