UPPER LAKE — If Upper Lake's 16-0 non-league win over South Fork on Friday night in Upper Lake was indeed a preview of coming attractions, a North Central League II championship could be just around the corner for the Cougars.

The same two eight-man varsity football teams meet again in two weeks in Miranda where the undisputed league title will be riding on the line.

Upper Lake's Kyle Grandi scores on a slant pass in the second quarter to boost the Cougars' lead to 10-0. (Photos courtesy of Trett Bishop)

"We really haven't been tested like that before against another physical team," Upper Lake head coach Vince Moran said. "It's definitely a confidence builder for us."

Moran admitted he had his doubts about the Cougars' chances owing to a slew of injuries that popped up late in practice this week.

"Injuries all to key people," Moran added of Kyle Grandi's sore ribs, Bradley Sneathen's sore shoulder, Will Henry's sore hand and Cody Banks' bruised thumb.

"As the game went on, as our confidence was building, it's almost like we got healthier," Moran said.

The four players mentioned above all figured prominently in Upper Lake's victory.

Grandi caught a 10-yard slant pass for a touchdown late in the first half as the Cougars added to a 2-0 lead that had stood since Upper Lake's Adrian Avalos tackled running back Wesley Way in the end zone for a safety with 14.9 seconds left in the first quarter. Sneathen, a force at both fullback and linebacker for the Cougars, ran in the two-point conversion to make it 10-0.

Upper Lake quarterback Jerod Rosales let the South Fork pass rush get close before dumping off a screen pass to Bradley Sneathen that went for 55 yards late in the second quarter.

Sneathen finished the night with a hard-earned 43 yards on 14 carries against a stout South Fork defense, but he also caught four passes for 90 yards. On defense, he spent almost as much time in the Cubs' backfield as did the South Fork running backs.

Henry and fellow Upper Lake defensive end Joe Franklin were the focal point of a tremendous effort by a Cougars' defensive unit that allowed the Cubs only 50 yards of total offense. South Fork running back Justin Freitas entered the game averaging 14.3 yards a carry but gained only 13 yards on eight carries against Upper Lake.

Upper Lake's Bradley Sneathen takes a break on the sidelines.

"The strength of our team is run defense," Moran said. "I was worried about that guy (Freitas), but our defensive ends (Henry and Franklin) contained the outside and funneled everything to our linebackers."

Franklin also had three of the Cougars' seven quarterback sacks while Henry finished with two and Sneathen and Avalos one apiece.

Banks, who moved from quarterback to running back a few weeks ago, had his best game of the season with 149 yards on 18 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown run that capped an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive to open the second half.

"That's the best night he's had," Moran said of the senior. "He's shifty and likes to create things on his own, but tonight he followed his blockers, he followed Bradley."
Upper Lake (5-2), a winner of three straight, had a chance to put the game out of reach on a handful of other possession, but a combination of three turnovers and five major infractions, including three 15-yard penalties for helmet-to-helmet hits, scuttled those opportunities.

South Fork (4-3) tried to make a game of it late in the fourth quarter but a drive that started out at the Cubs' 16-yard-line stalled on downs at the Upper Lake 9 with 2:59 remaining.

Upper Lake's Cody Banks rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown against South Fork.

Upper Lake has next week off and while the Cougars were working hard to fill that open date on their schedule earlier this season, it may prove to be a blessing that they couldn't do it, according to Moran.

"There are a few things we need to work on, including some blocking breakdowns (on pass protection), and with the injuries we have the week off might be perfect timing," Moran said.

"I'm proud of what they accomplished tonight," Moran added.

Game notes: Upper Lake almost recorded a second safety for what would have been a weird 4-0 Upper Lake lead early in the second quarter when Harding appeared to go down in the end zone at the hands of a Cougars defender. In fact, one official started to signal for a safety but the ball was spotted back out at the 1-yard-line and the Cubs punted on fourth down … Upper Lake ran 16 plays in the third quarter to South Fork's six. Of those six Cubs plays, one was a sack (by Franklin), one was an interception (by Henry), one was an incompletion while two others were losses on running plays. The only positive yardage was a 3-yard pass from Harding to Freitas … Upper Lake's long scoring drive to start the second half consumed 5 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock, which isn't bad when you consider eight-man football is played on a field only 80 yards long … Upper Lake freshman quarterback Jerod Rosales had a rough start Friday night as he completed just one of his first 10 passes, but he recovered nicely and finished the game 10-for-22 for 136 yards … South Fork, 2-0 in the NCL II standings, host Round Valley next Friday. Upper Lake is 3-0 in NCL II play.

Upper Lake wide receiver Elijah Alvarez hauls in a pass in the first quarter.