Home sweet home: Turlock rolls Buhach Colony in Debely debut

How happy were the Turlock High Bulldogs to finally tee it up at Joe Debely Stadium, you ask?

This happy: They scored touchdowns on their first four possessions Friday night, the cushion for a convincing 49-27 Central California Conference victory over Buhach Colony.

Some fast repairs were made to Debely’s synthetic turf, which was rendered unplayable a few days before the season opener. Both Turlock and crosstown rival Pitman, which share Debely, twice were relocated for “home games.” Plans were made by both schools for full seasons on the road.

No matter now. Turlock (3-2, 1-0) looked, well, at home against Buhach Colony. On their first offensive snap, the Bulldogs scored when junior Dustin Grein followed fullback Mark Flores into the hole and raced 65 yards untouched for the game’s first touchdown.

“It (the turf) is a lot better now, much softer,” Grein said. “It used to be scratchy and hard.”

Yes, Grein had no complaints after a three-touchdown night. Minutes after his first strike, he intercepted a pass tipped by teammate Antonio Ruiz Suarez. Six plays later, Grein took an option pitch from quarterback Danny Velasquez and loped 6 yards into the end zone.

Michael Linares tacked on the third TD and, on the first play of the second quarter, Velasquez and Grein connected on a 63-yard touchdown pass. Football how-to books could not describe a better start than the one enjoyed by the Bulldogs.

“It was, ‘I’m not going to play a home game in my senior year?’” Velasquez wondered. “But coach (James Peterson) said to us, ‘It’s football. We’ll play wherever we go.’ I guessed we missed it (Debely) a lot.”

Grein, a rangy running back-safety, did not play much after halftime due to a stomach illness (“I was just exhausted”) and a calf injury. By then, however, the game was decided.

Velasquez (11 carries, 99 yards), a third-year varsity star and clearly the hub of the Turlock attack, rushed 33 yards for a touchdown in addition to his toss to Grein. The Bulldogs controlled the game, however, by gashing the Thunder for 386 yards on the ground. Flores contributed two touchdowns.

The Bulldogs also own a field-position weapon in Dallin Tilby, whose kickoffs reached the end zone for touchbacks six out of eight times.

“It’s great to be at home tonight,” Peterson said. “The kids came out and performed well in all aspects of the game. Our leaders on the team really stepped up.”

Buhach Colony (2-3, 0-1) buckled under Turlock’s early onslaught. The Thunder, its roster featuring seven sophomores, eventually moved the ball behind quarterback Clay Abrams. The 190-pound junior turned a botched field-goal attempt into a touchdown pass to Kyle Beaudry on the final play of the half. Later, he tossed to Edgar Olvera and Nathaniel Ayala for scores and rushed 23 yards for BC’s final TD.

“We’ve definitely had some tough starts against the better teams we’ve played. I don’t know if it was nerves,” Thunder coach Kevin Navarra said. “We definitely let our youth show.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 1:22 AM with the headline "Home sweet home: Turlock rolls Buhach Colony in Debely debut."