Thomas, Chaparral offense sprints past Sundevils

Chaparral senior running back Antonio Thomas wanted one thing Friday against Eldorado:

For the Cowboys to leave the field with Merlin Olsen’s bronzed cleat in hand.

Two carries into the game, Thomas broke off a 51-yard touchdown run to set the tone for his wish to come true.

Powered by Thomas’ three touchdown-performance, host Chaparral (3-1) rolled up 502 yards of offense and overwhelmed the Sundevils 52-14 to win the Cleat Game.

Thomas, who rushed for 205 yards on 16 carries, was all smiles after his team was presented with the cleat-topped rivalry trophy.

“Oh man, it means everything to me,” said Thomas. “I was just doing it for my team. We worked hard for this. My sophomore year, we lost it (the trophy). But to win it my senior year is beautiful. It’s just amazing.”

Chaparral coach William Froman said he is pleased with Thomas’ efforts.

“He’s as good as anybody in town when he gets loose,” Froman said. “But our O-line played great. That’s two weeks in a row we have rushed for over 400 yards.”

Helping the Cowboys rack up 424 yards on the ground was quarterback Jason Jonshon, who had 91 yards on 13 carries, including his own 51-yard touchdown run.

Jonshon also tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Patrick Savoy on back-to-back possessions — one for 35 yards and another for 17 — to push the Cowboy lead to 22 early in the second quarter.

Tyquan Anderson rumbled for a 74-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to make it 52-8, and finished with 104 rushing yards for the Cowboys.

Joshua Brown threw for 145 yards and two scores for Eldorado, and Justin Brown rushed for 129 yards on 21 carries to lead the Sundevils (1-1). Still, Froman said he was pleased with the way his defense kept Eldorado in check most of the night.

“They are a talented team. Those backs are shifty,” said Froman. “We had a very good hard week of practice and we shut them down.”

Chaparral’s defense forced four turnovers on the night, while senior defensive lineman William

Hernandez had a sack and spent much of the game in the Sundevil backfield disrupting the offense.

As for Thomas, he said he felt winning the Cleat Game may set the tone for bigger things to come as the Cowboys begin league play next week.

“We just are looking to keep it rolling,” said Thomas. “I feel wonderful. It’s amazing how much we have changed in a year.”