Melrose improves to 5-0 with 50-0 win over Logan

MELROSE - During the second quarter of Friday night's Logan-Melrose football game, the lights on the Buffaloes' side of the field went out.

Before the end of the third quarter, Melrose had put Logan's lights out, ending the game on the mercy rule by building a 50-0 lead in the district opener for both teams, home opener for the Buffaloes.

So, that score became the final and Melrose became 5-0, 1-0 district, as its quest to win a fifth state title in six years continued.

Still a way to go, but the Buffaloes are stampeding right along, outscoring their five opponents 274-32. Friday's shutout victory was their second of the season.

Melrose head coach Caleb King isn't terribly surprised by his players' success thus far.

"They're very dedicated," King said. "These guys come in and we do weights at six o'clock in the morning and we do our running. These guys want to be great football players, and you can't ask for any more. It's fun to coach them."

"I think our work ethic in practice has a lot to do with it," Buffaloes senior quarterback Tristan Sena said after throwing four touchdown passes, rushing for two scores, running for three two-point conversions, and passing for a two-pointer. "We really hold each other accountable; we can't be lackadaisical. There are still really good teams in our district, and we've just got to keep working and not let up."

"Just working hard," junior defensive back/tight end Trace Jackson said. "We work hard every day when we go to practice. We give it our all."

Their all was good enough for a convincing win over a quality opponent Friday. Still, it was slow going early on.

Though Melrose began the game-opening possession with a 10-yard Sena keeper, the night's second play from scrimmage was a fumbled snap, recovered by Logan's Wyatt Wright at the Longhorns' 47.

After the ensuing series ended with a Logan punt, Melrose went to work back at its own 13, and the possession began with a 20-yard play-action pass from Sena to Devon Bailey. The next play was a 30-yard Bailey run down the left sideline, and just like that, the Buffs had moved to Logan's 37.

Three plays later they were at the 23, and from there, Sena lofted one to a wide-open Bailey on the left side of the field. The pass was a bit high, so Bailey had to use his 6-5 frame and leaping ability to reach up and haul it in. He then turned and rumbled into the end zone.

A two-point conversion pass was completed to Tate Sorgen, but beyond the back of the end zone, so the score remained 6-0 with 7:56 to go in the first quarter.

And it stayed that way for quite a while. The Buffaloes' next possession fizzled on downs just inside the Longhorns' 11. Their next drive did the same at Logan's 12.

But on the Longhorn possession immediately following that, it was second-and-13 from their own 9 when Jantzen Paris was intercepted on the left side by Jackson, who ran in for a pick-six.

"I just saw it coming my way and I grabbed it," Jackson said. "And I ran for the touchdown. That's it."

Sena rushed for the two-point conversion, and it was 14-0 with 9:58 left in the second quarter.

The Buffaloes were finally cooking, though their next possession was interrupted by the partial blackout with 5:11 to go in the second. Annoying, but not necessarily a bad thing.

"That allowed us to make some adjustments, adjust our blocking and adjust a few things on defense," King said. "So that was kind of like another halftime."

And soon after play resumed, Sena bolted 48 yards for a touchdown. His conversion pass attempt was incomplete, but with 4:45 left in the second quarter, Melrose was up 20-0.

The Buffaloes struck again before halftime. Facing a third-and-one from Logan's 12 with just over a minute to play in the second quarter, Sena completed a pass to Sorgen just short of the goal line, and Sorgen dove in for the score. Sena ran for the two-point conversion, giving Melrose a 28-0 lead with 59 seconds remaining in the half.

The Buffs scored on all of their third-quarter possessions, allowing them to end the game early. A three-yard Sena touchdown run followed by an incomplete two-point conversion pass made it 34-0 with 3:30 left in the third. A 22-yard scoring pass from Sena to Sorgen followed by a Sena conversion run stretched the margin to 42-0 with 1:45 remaining in the quarter. And on second-and-21 from Melrose's 42, Sena connected with Bailey on a 58-yard touchdown pass with 56 seconds to go in the third. A flag was thrown, but the penalty was against Logan, so the play stood.

And on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, Sena dashed right, appearing at first like he was trying to run it in. He was still behind the line of scrimmage, and tossed to Bailey in the end zone for two.

50-0. Game over.

"It was a big win," King said. "First home game, first district game."

"It's always good to be on a roll," Sena said. "We've always got things to work on; there's never a time to ease off. ... But it's always good to win, and win at home. It's always nice whenever you're in front of your community and the people that support you all the time."

"All in all," Jackson said, "it was a pretty good win."