Merced routs Golden Valley, keeps Mayor’s Cup

The Merced High football needed just one play to get into the end zone on Friday night.

Bears quarterback Tyrone Williams dropped back and hit a streaking Brandon McKinney for an 83-yard touchdown.

“That play was designed to score,” Williams said. “We knew their safety would roll up and their corners aren’t fast enough to keep up with Brandon McKinney.”

It was a sign of things to come.

Merced (8-2, 5-0 Central California Conference) scored touchdowns on its first three offensive plays as the Bears steamrolled the Cougars 53-14 at Veterans Stadium to win the Battle for the Mayor’s Cup for the ninth year in a row and clinch the conference title for the second consecutive season.

“You always wonder how you’re going to come out and play and they always do a good job of preparing for us, especially the last couple years,” said Merced coach Rob Scheidt, whose team finished the regular season with seven consecutive wins. “Tonight we were able to play our brand of football.”

The Bears offense struggled the last couple weeks, including just 10 points in the rain last week week against Turlock.

There were no struggles against the Cougars (0-10, 0-5 CCC).

After the long strike to McKinney, the Bears needed just two plays on their next possession to score, as running back Jabar Byrd broke free for a 73-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, a bad snap on a Golden Valley punt attempt gave Merced the ball at the Cougars’ 30-yard line. Bryce Bernat’s 22-yard run set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Josh Taylor to extend the Merced lead to 21-0.

“This week in practice, we talked about getting back to the level where we were at,” said Williams, who completed six passes for 119 yards and the two scores. “The last three or four years this game has been really close. We were here to play this year.”

Three bad snaps on Golden Valley punts gave the Merced offense short fields in the first half. The Bears quickly capitalized.

Meanwhile, the Merced defense dominated the Cougars’ offensive line, sacking GV quarterback Armando Muzquiz 10 times.

“We were just using our hands and doing what our coaches taught us,” Merced defensive lineman Robbie Huddleston said.

Merced’s defense got in the scoring column when safety Hunter Fink scooped up a fumble and returned it 2 yards for a touchdowns that gave the Bears a 33-0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.

Williams scored a 13-yard touchdown on a zone-read option in the second quarter and Ulonzo Gilliam scored his second touchdown of the night on a 20-yard run to give Merced a 47-0 lead.

Merced could have added another score but took a knee on a fourth down at the Cougars’ 1-yard line with 33 seconds left in the half.

Golden Valley ended its season on a bright spot with two touchdowns in the second half as Desmone Borden scored on a 4-yard run and Muzquiz hooked up with Michael Souza for a 30-yard touchdown.

Merced can turn its attention to the playoffs. The Sac-Joaquin Section will announce the playoff matchups today. The Bears should earn a first-round home game next week.

This story was originally published November 8, 2014 at 12:10 AM with the headline "Merced routs Golden Valley, keeps Mayor’s Cup."