Rocklin uses strong second half to overcome Turlock in season opener

The Turlock High football team took a lot of positives out of Friday night’s season opener against Sacramento-area powerhouse Rocklin.

But the Thunder took home the win.

Quarterback Reeve Slone threw two touchdown passes and Derek Keeley ran for two scores as the Thunder fought off a spirited Turlock team to win 41-28 at Joe Debely Stadium.

It was a much tighter game than most expected.

“They’ve got a scrappy bunch, they’re well-coached and if you make a mistake, they’re going to have a chance to beat you,” Rocklin coach Jason Adams said. “That’s kind of what happened tonight.”

Two years ago, Rocklin made the trip south to Turlock and lost 14-7 to the Bulldogs. This time, Turlock led by 7 points at halftime.

But a 27-point second half, highlighted by Keeley’s game-sealing 13-yard touchdown run with under 2 minutes left closed out the win for the defending Division II Sac-Joaquin Section champs.

“Those guys punched us in the mouth, and ... they should feel good heading into next week,” Adams said.

There were plenty of good things that came out of the game for Turlock. The Bulldogs appeared to have the Thunder on the ropes for much of the game, with Rocklin taking its first lead late in the third quarter.

Of all of the positives the Bulldogs can take away, the biggest one may be that they have a star-in-the-making at quarterback.

Freshman Scout Silva started for Turlock and never appeared fazed against a tough Rocklin defense. He commanded the offense like a senior, not a kid who just last year was in junior high.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Silva passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 56 yards and two scores. He not only impressed his own coach, he also drew some nice compliments from Rocklin’s Adams.

“I didn’t know he was freshman, the coaches just told me that,” Adams said. “I told their coaches that’s one hell of a competitor. Hell of a player.”

Peterson said Silva’s offseason work paid off.

“I thought he did a great job,” Peterson said. “He did a good job extending the play, avoiding the sack, and then making plays with his eyes throwing the ball down the field.”

Turlock’s defense was strong in the first half against Rocklin’s powerful running game. But the Bulldogs were stung by a big play when Slone hit Mavrik Collins on an 86-yard touchdown pass.

Scout Silva’s 11-yard TD pass to Junior Silva gave Turlock a 21-14 lead with just seconds left in the first half.

Rocklin got its running game going in the second half. It helps to have a mammoth at left tackle leading the way. Garrison Blank is a 6-foot-7, 298-pound, one-man wrecking crew and a UCLA commit.

The Thunder offensive line took over in the third and fourth quarters, and the Rocklin scored touchdowns on all four of its second-half possessions.

Rocklin is The Sacramento Bee’s No. 3-ranked team, but the Thunder will have to clean things up if it wants to defend its section title.

Rocklin muffed a punt, had some shoddy tackling on Turlock’s second touchdown, and Thunder players were called for eight personal foul penalties. Several of those extended Turlock drives.

“There’s just a hangover that’s associated with winning (a championship) and kids being told how good they are,” Adams said. “I thought we had a mature group, but we didn’t play that way tonight.”

Rocklin will host Nevada power Bishop Manogue next Friday night.

Turlock will continue its tough preseason schedule next Friday at Tracy in the traditional Battle for the Bone.

“I like a tough preseason,” Peterson said. “We’re going to Tracy next week and it should be a good one.”

Sign Up for Local Breaking News