Physical Foothill wears down Cheyenne

Heading into his 12th season, Foothill football coach Marty Redmond should know what his strong suit will be by the season-opening kickoff.

This year, Redmond didn’t hesitate pregame in praising his offensive line.

Senior Blake Wilson rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, and the Falcons rolled to a 49-6 victory at Cheyenne on Friday, with much of the credit going to a veteran line that engineered more than 400 yards of offense. Six of Foothill’s touchdowns were on the ground.

“I’ve got to give a lot of my success in this game to my O-line,” said Wilson, who also caught a 23-yard touchdown pass, his only reception of the game. “They’re opening up giant holes, giving me the chance to make the best out of what I’m giving.”

Foothill (1-0) finished with 320 yards on the ground, while sophomore quarterback Jordan Wilson shook off the nerves to add 86 yards passing in his varsity debut. The Falcons outgained Cheyenne, 406-76.

“The first play I got hit, on my first pass, after that it was just, ‘Let’s play,’ ” said Jordan Wilson, who completed 9 of 11 passes. “I can’t say enough about the offensive line — it’s perfect. They make plays, they do what they do. We had wide-open holes all night long.”

Jordan Wilson also rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries, including a pair of 6-yard touchdowns.

Cheyenne (0-1) came out competing, with one strong defensive stand and a couple of promising offensive drives. After a scoreless first quarter, Foothill struck twice with long, bruising drives that saw both Wilsons rumble into Cheyenne’s secondary with ease as the Desert Shields began wilting in the trenches.

The Falcons went into the locker room with a 14-0 lead, behind two 3-yard touchdown runs by Blake Wilson and extended their advantage to 21-0 on their first drive of the second half. Desert Shields specialist Deriontae Green returned Foothill’s kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, and momentum continued to swing in Cheyenne’s direction, as the Falcons fumbled away the ensuing kickoff.

But unfortunately for Cheyenne, Falcons defensive back Brandon Hargis returned an interception 45 yards to put Foothill in striking position. And that’s when Foothill’s offensive line got its second wind. The Falcons scored on their final four drives, rushing 19 times over 23 plays to put the game out of reach.

“Our offensive line does a great job of making holes, and Blake is just a hard-nosed runner,” Redmond said. “We just wore them down throughout the game. You could see us getting bigger holes and gaining momentum as the game went on.”