Dream night for Egan in Merced debut. Helps Bears rout former team El Capitan.

One can only imagine the emotions Garrett Egan was dealing with on Friday night.

Not only was the senior playing his first game this season after transferring to Merced High, but he was also facing the school he transferred from in El Capitan.

“This meant the world to me,” Egan said. “I’ve dreamed about this game. I was excited. It’s my first game back, my senior year and I’m playing my old team. I just tried to keep my emotions in check.”

Egan displayed his ability to explode out of the backfield as he rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries. Quarterback Dhameer Warren added three rushing touchdowns and one score through the air as the Bears (3-4 overall, 2-1 Central California Conference) cruised to a 56-14 win over the Gauchos at Stadium ’76.

Egan became eligible to play last week but Merced had a bye. His availability comes at a crucial time with the Bears’ leading rusher Andre Barnett sidelined by a shoulder injury.

Egan joined Barnett and Elijah Gilliam as the third Merced running back to top the century mark on the ground in a game this season.

“He brings fire,” Warren said. “He runs hard and he has heart.”

Three of Egan’s nine carries went for over 20 yards and he broke off runs of 21, 22, and 36 yards. His 13-yard touchdown run gave the Bears a 14-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

“I’m just trying to contribute to the team any way I can,” said Egan, whose 131 yards equaled his season total for the Gauchos last season. “I try to lift guys up as much as I can.”

It’s been a tough stretch for El Capitan (2-6, 1-3). After defeating Golden Valley 31-0 on Sept. 22, the Gauchos hit the teeth of their schedule with a three-game stretch against Turlock, Buhach Colony and Merced. El Capitan has been outscored 180-43 in the three losses.

The Gauchos have been without their leader on defensive in middle linebacker Lucas Duda and their leading rusher in running back Ethan Meza the last two weeks.

Jacob Tanori led El Capitan on offense with 85 yards rushing, including a 59-yard touchdown run. Tanori also hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Reid in the fourth quarter.

“We felt we were ready for what they were going to give us,” said Merced coach Rob Scheidt. “We knew they were banged up. They’ve had some tough games in a row in our league. It’s a tough stretch for them and they got banged up.”

The Gauchos just couldn’t keep up with Merced’s firepower.

Gilliam started the Bears scoring by recovering his own fumble in the end zone on a 1-yard run midway through the first quarter. After Egan’s score, Warren found Xavier Stewart on a 28-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21-0 on the final play of the opening quarter.

Warren then scored on a runs of 3 and 25 yards in the second quarter to push the lead to 35-7 at the half. Warren finished with 64 yards rushing on nine carries. Gilliam added 74 yards on 12 carries as the Bears rushed for 282 yards.

The final four rushing yards for the Bears was a touchdown run by Merced senior Cameron Chapman in the fourth quarter. Chapman was also playing in his first game of the season after transferring from El Capitan. Chapman’s touchdown had the Bears sideline going crazy.

The Bears even added a defensive touchdown as Xaiver Ortiz-Wilson returned a fumble 5 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to give Merced a 42-7 lead.

Merced is likely in a position where it has to win out to make the playoffs. The Bears will host Buhach Colony (5-3, 3-1) next week in a big CCC matchup.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Dream night for Egan in Merced debut. Helps Bears rout former team El Capitan.."