Merced stays perfect at 9-0 after dominant win over Atwater
Merced High left little doubt Friday night about who controls the Central California Conference.
Senior quarterback Vicente Cortez accounted for three first-half touchdowns — two through the air and one on the ground — as the Bears dominated rival Atwater 49-14 to remain undefeated at 9-0.
Merced scored on its first five possessions and led 42-0 by halftime. Cortez hit junior Israel Rodas for touchdowns of 61 and 47 yards, while Dougie Andrews added rushing scores of 15 and 10 yards. Sophomore Christian Jackson tacked on a 66-yard TD burst midway through the second quarter. Brett Parker was the fifth Bear to score a touchdown on a 1-yard goal-line carry.
On defense, junior Isayah Smith intercepted two passes, both leading to Merced touchdowns.
“He looks toward the receivers a lot,” Smith said. “Before the play’s even snapped, I know it’s coming to my side. I just had to show him who he is.”
Each time Smith flipped possession, the Bears’ offense cashed in.
“Feels good, man — we the money team,” Smith said with a grin. “Offense is great. Vicente Cortez, our line, all our receivers — we dogs. It’s us, man.”
Cortez said film study set the tone.
“It was all in film,” he said. “We saw the type of defense they were running and the schemes on certain yardages, so we took advantage of that. We were able to score on first-play drives, and that really helped us in the first half.”
Merced head coach Rob Scheidt, now in his 30th season with the Bears, praised his players for maintaining standards after heavy roster turnover.
“I just have a great group of guys,” Scheidt said. “They love what we do, they love being coached, and they never disappoint me. There was a lot of speculation on whether they’d be in this position after losing seniors and transfers, but guys stepped up and held the standard of Merced High football.”
Scheidt said the goal extends beyond a perfect record.
“Our goals are beyond 9-0,” he said. “We don’t want to share a conference title. We want to finish strong and get ready for playoffs.”
Atwater (5-4) avoided a shutout with a third-quarter touchdown run and another scoring pass in the fourth. Coach Seneca Ybarra credited Merced’s physicality but said his players battled through injuries.
“We’re not the same team we were in Week 1,” Ybarra said. “We lost five more guys tonight, but the kids battled hard. They’re big and physical, and whoever can match up with them up front is going to be real successful. We just had a hard time with that tonight.”
“It’s been a crazy year, but that’s football,” he added. “It’s a next-man-up sport. We’re limping to the finish line, but we’re going to finish strong.”
Merced improves to 4-0 in CCC play and can clinch an outright league title and a perfect regular season next week against Buhach Colony.
“We’ve got to finish as strong as we start,” Scheidt said. “That’s the goal heading into next week.”
