Citrus Valley Overcomes Early Jitters in Season-Opening Win

First game jitters are a common problem for most teams.

The test for any team is how fast they can overcome them.

For Citrus Valley High School on Friday, it lasted about one quarter.

The Blackhawks bounced back from a 7-0 deficit to wear down and beat the New Westminster Secondary School of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, 33-7.

"We were real sloppy compared to our scrimmage last week," said Citrus Valley coach Pete Smolin. "It's first game nerves. Guys are a little jittery. We made mistakes that we never make in practice, didn't make in our last two scrimmages."

New Westminster, which has been in Southern California since Monday, held Citrus Valley to four-and-out on its opening series. The Hyacks followed the defensive stop by converting on a third-and-15 and a fourth-and-2 on a 12-play drive that ended with a 1-yard Aldrin Asuncion touchdown run and a 7-0 lead.

That's where Citrus Valley woke up.

With Justin Lopez taking over at quarterback in the Blackhawks' quarterback rotation, the offense went to the air. Lopez hit receiver Patrick Means on three straight plays, and four times on the drive, to march the field. The drive ended with Lopez connecting with tight end Alec Bogh on a 13-yard strike. The point after was blocked, leaving Citrus Valley down by 1.

But the deficit didn't last long.

On its next drive, with Dalton Douglas at quarterback, the Blackhawks got its running game going. Jason Snow carried the load, marching Citrus Valley down the field. Douglas capped the drive by hooking up with Trevor Lenard on a 26-yard pass play.

The two-offense platoon, running mostly with no huddle, helped to wear down New Westminster -- located in a suburb of Vancouver. The Hyacks 36-man roster was unable to keep up.

"We suited up twice as many guys as they did, so we knew toward the end, middle of the second quarter, second half, we'll wear 'em down a little bit, and that's been kind of our game plan on our no huddle ground attack," Smolin said. "We're set up to snap the ball, and some teams are barely getting in their stances."

But things were far from perfect for the Blackhawks, as they commited 13 penalties for 106 yards, and had two point after touchdown kicks blocked.

"We made a lot of mistakes that we've got to clean up," Smolin said. "And first game jitters, we're going to have a tough season in a tough league, so we're going to have to clean up some of those mistakes."

Key stats:

• Justin Lopez, QB, Citrus Valley: 10-for-13, 199 yards, two passing touchdowns
• Dalton Douglas, QB, Citrus Valley: 3-for-7, 70 yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown
• Patrick Means, WR, Citrus Valley: 6 catches, 154 yards, one touchdown
• Jason Snow, RB, Citrus Valley: 11 carries, 63 yards
• Aldrin Asuncion, RB, New Westminster: 12 carries, 49 yards, one touchdown