LEMOORE – Sanger High’s football season is building a head of steam following a temporary bump in the road.
Recharged by a week off after suffering their first loss of the season, the Apaches (3-1) jumped on the Lemoore High Tigers early with 28 first-half points on their way to a convincing 42-13 non-league victory on Sept. 8. Sanger now has convincing road wins against Clovis and Lemoore sandwiched around a loss to Clovis East.
The Apaches broke a 7-7 tie in the second quarter, taking the lead for good behind rushing touchdowns from Marshall Pittman (returned from an elbow injury) and Israel Robles along with a 14-yard TD pass from Jaden Chanthalangsy to Carlos Young. A sack from Adolfo Hurtado ended a potential scoring threat from Lemoore, and Sanger took a 28-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Tigers crept within 28-13 in the third quarter on a touchdown run by Spencer Silva, but Sanger salted the win away with two more second half TDs. A long run by Jacob Niemeyer set up the first score, then Niemetyer followed another long run with a short scoring burst with just under nine minutes left in the game.
Sanger’s defense helped keep Lemoore (2-2) in check as Hurtado collected a pair of sacks while Niemeyer and Conner Bohlken chipped in with tackles for loss. With the victory in the 70th meeting of the schools, Sanger avenged a 49-18 home loss in 2022 and now leads the series by a 35-32-3 margin.
The Apaches now have the opportunity to build on their record with the start of a three-game homestand, starting with the 7:30 p.m. non-league matchup against 3-1 Centennial-Bakersfield on Friday, Sept. 15 at Tom Flores Hall of Fame Stadium. The visiting Hawks shut out Ridgeview, 37-0, last week, and are another Division I opponent during the Apaches’ rugged pre-County Metro Athletic Conference schedule.
Following a bye week on Sept. 22, Sanger opens the CMAC season on Sept. 29 by hosting Justin Garza High before the home stretch concludes on Oct. 6 against Edison High.
