SAN JOSE -- Their bid to reclaim the West Valley Division title may fall short, but the 2009 Bulldogs can say they are winningest Sobrato football team in history.
Ralph Jackson rushed for three touchdowns and Obi Mbonu ran for more than 100 yards and two scores as the Bulldogs pounded Overfelt 48-7 Friday to earn their program-best seventh victory this year.
"I told the kids we were playing for history tonight," Sobrato coach Nick Borello said. "Some people came up to us after the game to congratulate us. It was nice to see that. These guys have worked hard."
The visiting Bulldogs (7-2 overall, 5-1 league) broke their previous single-season win total set by the 2007 West Valley championship squad (6-4-1), which remains the only postseason team Sobrato football has produced.
That could change very soon.
The Bulldogs will likely earn an at-large berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs if they beat Lick this Friday at Richert Field. That would complete an impressive eight-win season, complete with victories over 'A'- and 'B'-league teams.
Sobrato has outscored its last three opponents 132-7 - and nearly earned a third straight shutout win Friday. The Royals (2-7, 1-5) scored on the Bulldogs' reserves late in the fourth quarter.
"Our defense put together another great night for us," Borello said.
Daniel Puna and sophomore Travis Saenz made interceptions for Sobrato, which did not turn the ball over or punt.
Offensively, the Bulldogs barely threw. Backup quarterback Jerry Jacob, who played the entire game, rushed for close to 50 yards and was 3-for-4 passing.
Jackson, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound fullback, found the end zone from 20, 1 and 10 yards out in the first half, and Mbonu scored on a 10-yard dash to push Sobrato ahead 27-0 at halftime. Drew Johnson cashed in on a 1-yard dive, Mbonu sprinted away on an 88-yard touchdown run and Jacob Molina scored from eight yards out in the fourth quarter.
Overfelt's Pean Saetern rushed for a 2-yard score with less than three minutes remaining.
"We saw the kind of effort and improvements we needed to see at this point in the season," Borello said. "We saw some guys doing some big things. Even the backups did very well."
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Hope flies again
