‘It’s a special group.’ Buhach Colony defeats Roseville to advance to semifinals.
Trey Paster and Youlas Dickson have been two dynamic stars all season for the Buhach Colony High football team.
The Thunder duo set the tone again on Friday night against Roseville.
Paster took a sweep around the right side for a 76-yard touchdown run. On Buhach Colony’s next possession, Dickson took another sweep around the same side for a 64-yard score and the No. 3 seeded Thunder were off and running to a 45-27 victory over the No. 6 Tigers in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III quarterfinals at Dave Honey Stadium.
The Thunder (11-0) will travel to No. 2 Placer (9-2), which rallied late to defeat No. 10 Yuba City 31-28, in the semifinals next Friday.
“This team just has so many good athletes,” said Paster, who rushed for 94 yards on four carries. “We have athletes on our line, our running backs, DBs and linebackers.”
The Thunder’s big-play ability was on display with Buhach Colony gashing the Tigers defense for five plays of 46 yards or more.
Jacob Tanori broke free for a 46-yard run. Nate Ruiz added a 51-yard run. Even freshman Jaxson Percoats added a 57-yard touchdown run.
“It’s a special group,” said Ruiz, who rushed for 84 yards on nine carries. “A lot of it just comes down to our grit.”
Six Buhach Colony players finished with more than 50 yards rushing, led by Dickson, who had 94 and two touchdowns on just six carries. Dickson played despite being under the weather all week.
Ruiz delivered the back-breaking play at the end of the first half when he hauled in a 71-yard touchdown from Oscar Smallwood with 2 seconds left in the second quarter to stretch the Thunder lead to 26-7 at the half.
Buhach Colony extended the lead to 32-7 after a Jacob Tanori 11-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter before resting a lot of its starters.
Paster said they had a bit of extra motivation with some people on social media picking against the Thunder.
“We don’t shy away from social media,” Paster said. “Ever since week zero, when teams like Gregori and Tracy were ranked ahead of us, we’ve played with a chip on our shoulder.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 11:40 PM.
