SONORA — Ripon quarterback Ryan Daggett overslept and missed the pregame meeting as the Indians prepared for their anticipated duel with Sonora on Friday.
He sat out the entire first quarter as a result.
No matter.
The Indians, led once again by a stifling defense, snapped a four-game losing streak to the Mother Lode League champion in stunning fashion, 34-0. It’s the second straight week that Ripon (2-0) pitched a shutout, and the second straight week that Sonora (0-2) was held without a point.
It was a far different result from its last trip to famed Dunlavy Field — a 69-7 throttling administered by the mighty Wildcats.
“We’re just taking our 23 guys and trying to do what we can,” Ripon coach Chris Musseman said. “They’re definitely a good team and I’m sure they’re going to have some say in the Mother Lode.
“Our kids played hard and had a great week of practice. They had a chip on their shoulder from the last time we went to Sonora — Daggett and Roland Davis were sophomores on the team that year. That was enough motivation to go out and have a good performance.”
Nico Ilardi (3 of 5, 35 yards) did well in Daggett’s place, and the defense came through with two key stops in the red zone after Karson Clifton (16 rushes, 157 yards) set Sonora up with scoring opportunities on a pair of big gains.
Then Daggett entered the game after a scoreless first period. He busted a 25-yard touchdown run on his second play, and the Indians were off to the races. He added a 67-yard TD run and then hit Ilardi for a 52-yard score with 18 seconds left in the half. Just like that, Ripon was ahead 20-0.
Daggett added a 31-yard touchdown toss to Danny Hernandez in the fourth quarter, finishing with 86 yards on 3-of-5 passing to go with 108 rushing yards on seven carries.
“He was amped up all week to play this game,” Musseman said. “No one felt worst about the situation but he made sure he was out there supporting the guys. He had no problem sitting out, and when he got on the field he was ready to go. He has been a great leader for us, and Nico Ilardi did a great job in the first quarter.”
Brandon Rainer (five carries, 64 yards) scored on a 46-yard dash and was Ripon’s second-leading rusher. Eight different Indians had carries and combined for 327 yards.
Sonora couldn’t muster much offense other than Clifton’s two big runs early in the contest, totaling 281 yards. Standout quarterback Jake Gookin was limited to 12 yards rushing and 42 passing, completing 2 of 8 attempts.
“I’m not going to lie, our defense has been very surprising,” Musseman said. “We knew we had good players in spots but we had huge holes from last year. The kids have really stepped up and bought into what we’re doing, and they are playing outstanding defense right now.”