Skyhawks rack up 11th straight against Mojave

By Jared Harmon

Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008 | midnight

Silverado coach Andy Ostolaza has yet to taste regular season defeat as the Skyhawks won their 11th straight Friday with a 49-6 win against Mojave.

The Skyhawks (2-0) used seven rushers to gain 310 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Ostolaza said his team is fortunate to have a number of strong, fast running backs who can step.

“Our (running backs) looked better this week than last and our offensive line looked better, too,” Ostolaza said. “It’s going to take us a while to get where I want us to be only because the line doesn’t have the experience that last year’s did.”

The line is anchored by seniors Alex Castellon and Stefano Retis, and includes a sophomore, as well as a junior who played a different position last year.

Still, the line was able to open lanes and keep the Hawks moving while leading running backs Terran Madu-Jules, Michael Wadsworth, A.J. Smith and Tyler Anderson to the end zone.

“I think the line stepped it up a lot this week,” Castellon said. “We worked hard in practice and we worked as a team when we got on the field. We might not have the experience we had last year but we’re stronger and faster and I think we’ll handle the pressure better.”

Madu-Jules, a junior, opened the game with an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, then scored twice more in the first quarter while collecting 86 of his 100 rushing yards in the quarter on five carries.

Anderson also doubled-up on touchdowns with a 7-yard run in the second quarter and a 3-yard run in the fourth while collecting 77 yards on six carries.

“It was all my offensive line,” Anderson said. “They really helped us out tonight. They were pushing the defense around and creating big holes for me. If they keep firing off the line like that -- giving 100 percent every time -- I’ll keep picking up yards.”

Silverado’s defense also gave a strong effort, holding the Rattlers (0-1) to 152 yards -- and just 45 in the first half.

The Hawks forced five fumbles and recovered four, two by Keenan Graham.

“The defense got scored on and I know some of the guys are upset about that but they did a good job tonight,” Ostolaza said. “They made some big stops. There were still a few mental errors but not as many as last week. We’ve still got work to do but we’re getting there.”