Preview: Vincent Memorial Scots at Crawford Colts

In a battle of two Manzanita League unbeatens, the Crawford Colts overcame the Vincent Memorial Scots 28-12 to seal their second league championship in three years.

The Colts were off to the races from the opening kickoff. Sharif Sharif caught the ball at the 11 yard line, and didn’t stop running until he reached the endzone. Eric McDuffy, Jr. found paydirt next – the Colts’ leading rusher went 17 yards to give Crawford a quick 14-0 lead.

The Colts’ defense took the next turn. With the Scots making a drive to get back in it, Angel Chheang stepped in front of a pass to corral the interception. And Chheang’s defense turned quickly into offense. Santos Perez went deep to McDuffy, who reeled in the fingertip grab for a 51-yard score and a 21-0 lead.

After the half, the Colts continued to show off their versatile running game, as Raymond Gabriel tacked on a 12-yard touchdown run to make the margin 28-0.

Vincent Memorial finally broke through late in the fourth quarter with a pair of scores. Luis Madrigal made a leaping grab on a 5-yard pass from Eduardo Valenzuela, and then Hector Robinson went 15 yards to Juan Pablo Ruiz.

But the night belonged to the Colts, as they avenged one of their losses to Vincent Memorial from 2014. And with both teams still looking for deep runs in the playoffs, depending on how the Division 5 bracket plays out, a fourth meeting in just two years may be on the horizon.

PREVIEW: Tag along with the Prep Pigskin Report this Friday night, as we take you inside the battle for the Manzanita League crown between the Crawford Colts and Vincent Memorial Scots.

We’ll have live pregame coverage during the PPR at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., with stories from on and off the gridiron. And, of course, we’ll have all the highlights served hot from the stadium starting at 10:30 p.m.

Both sides come in to the contest at 3-0 in league play, making it the de facto Manzanita championship game. While the defending champion Scots have yet to lose a game in 2015, they survived a scare in Week 10 against Holtville — escaping by just a 14-7 margin. The Colts have 2 non-league losses, but have cruised through their league slate without giving up a single point.

Both sides lean heavily –and successfully — on running the football, averaging almost exactly 30 points per game. Senior Fernando Santana leads the way for the Scots, with Hector Robinson and Juan Pablo Ruiz also chipping in. The Scots spread the ball to a deep stable of backs, headlined by the senior trio of Eric McDuffy, Jr., Raymond Gabriel, and Sharif Sharif — each of whom plays a key role on defense as well.