Football roundup: Placer tops Laguna Creek; Del Oro, Foresthill remain unbeaten

Placer 34, Laguna Creek 28 Placer keeps finding ways to win through adversity. The Hillmen overcame the absence of three offensive linemen and still ran for 404 yards Friday night, holding off Laguna Creek 34-28 in Elk Grove to improve to 3-0. The Hillmen were able to build a two-score advantage in the second half and fend off a late surge by the Cardinals to secure the victory. Placer continued to find answers when it needed them, relying on its rushing attack despite the reshuffled offensive line. Jesiah Aday led the way with 216 yards on 14 carries, averaging over 15 yards per carry with two touchdowns. Isaiah Caminiti added 136 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns as the duo accounted for 352 of Placer's 404 rushing yards. Joe White added 33 yards and a touchdown on six carries, while Hudson Swain rushed for 23 yards on three carries.The Hillmen also got a strong defensive effort, recording five tackles for loss and a sack. Riley Nilsen led Placer with eight tackles, including two for loss. Aday added nine tackles and a tackle for loss. Carter Soderman and Ethan Fretland each finished with seven tackles, while Michael Castaneda had six tackles, a tackle for loss and Placer's lone sack.The win continued a trend that has defined Placer's start to the season: Head coach Joey Montoya said that the Hillmen haven't necessarily needed everything to go according to plan to find a way to win."We are banged up right now but this team keeps finding a way to get it done regardless," said Montoya. Placer improved to 3-0 with the win and will host Rio Linda Friday night. Foresthill 12, Millennium 6 Foresthill leaned on its defense and made enough plays through the air to beat Millennium of Tracy 12-6 in an 8-man football matchup Friday night. The Wildfires limited Millennium to a single touchdown, which came on a kickoff return, while holding the Falcons scoreless offensively. Foresthill's passing game produced 227 yards, with several big plays helping the Falcons overcome a strong defensive game plan from Millennium. Shayne Falkenberg completed 3 passes for 125 yards, while Ricky Kalb added a game-changing 58-yard touchdown reception, tight-roping the sideline for the score. Kalb also contributed nearly 200 all-purpose return yards and handled kicking duties, consistently giving Foresthill's defense favorable field position. Caleb Anderson was active throughout the game defensively, leading the Wildfires in tackles while contributing across the defensive stat sheet. Abe Robenolt and Ely Sylvester provided consistent pressure from the defensive line as Foresthill matched Millennium's defensive effort and kept the game within one score. "Coach Hill at Millennium came with an extremely effective defensive game plan, and did a great job hampering what's become kind of our signature run game," Foresthill coach Nick Gleason said. "We matched the defensive effort, shutting them out of any offensive points." Gleason also credited underclassmen Cameron Nickell and Devon Whitsett for their continued development and praised his assistants as well for their preparation. Foresthill improved to 2-0 with the win and will look to build on its passing attack while continuing to develop its young players. The Wildfires will host Delta Friday night. Colfax 21, Dixon 7 Colfax put together a strong first half and leaned on its ground game to beat Dixon on the road 21-7 Friday night The Falcons scored all 21 of their points in the first half, taking a 21-7 lead into halftime before their defense shut out Dixon over the final two quarters. Adam Amatangelo completed 18 of 24 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown. He did throw three interceptions, but Colfax's offense consistently generated enough production to build its early advantage. Graeson Howard led the Falcons on the ground with 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Howard also caught one pass for 50 yards and a touchdown. Colfax coach Jason Stowers said that Declan McNally and Jake Machado spearheaded the defensive effort, leading the charge as the Falcons stonewalled the Dixon offense. Colfax improved to 2-1 with the victory and will have a bye week this week before hosting Gridley in its home opener on Sept. 25. Union Mine 34, Bear River 33 Bear River suffered its first setback of the season Friday night in Lake of the Pines, letting a fourth-quarter lead slip away in a 34-33 loss to Union Mine. The Bruins jumped out to a 20-7 lead after the first quarter and carried a 27-7 advantage into halftime before Union Mine rallied with 21 points in the third quarter. Bear River regained the lead at 33-28 in the fourth, but Union Mine's Kingsten Landry scored on a 2-yard touchdown run late to put the Diamondbacks ahead 34-33. Union Mine then failed on the ensuing two-point conversion, giving Bear River a chance to reclaim the lead. The Bruins took possession at the Union Mine 49-yard line and moved the ball well, but ultimately turned the ball over on downs with the Diamondbacks taking over at their own 21-yard line to seal the victory. Jaeden Waters led Bear River's offense with 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Jayden Brock completed 7 of 10 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception, while Harry Jackson IV caught three passes for 48 yards. Bear River fell to 2-1 with the loss and will travel to East Nicolaus next Friday. Del Oro 44, Foothill 6 Del Oro was dominant from the start Friday night, scoring 44 unanswered points before halftime in a 44-6 rout of Northern Section power Foothill in Palo Cedro. The Golden Eagles piled up 406 total yards, giving the Cougars headaches with their balanced attack. Grayson Haugen was nearly perfect through the air, completing 13 of 16 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the ball around, with Gavin Wood leading the Golden Eagles with four receptions for 66 yards. Brennen Gibbs provided the big-play threat on the ground, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries. His longest run went for 83 yards. Chase Carmazzi caught two touchdown passes for Del Oro, while Sam Lawrence added another receiving score. The Golden Eagles' defense was just as impressive, holding Foothill scoreless in the first half and recording 14 tackles for loss. Justus Spillner led the way with six tackles and five tackles for loss, while Brandon Alfonso and Ty Sauve each added a tackle for loss. Reid Elam and Spillner each recorded a sack. Foothill finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown in the third quarter, but Del Oro shut out the Cougars in the fourth to finish off the dominant victory. The Golden Eagles improved to 3-0 with the win and will return home to face Vanden this week.