BERKELEY – Arroyo running back Joseph Estes had Saturday’s game against St. Mary’s-Berkeley circled on his calendar.
A year ago, Estes watched on the sidelines as his team lost by 34 points on their home turf.
The junior made sure that wasn’t going to happen this time around.
Estes had a monster game as he rushed for 276 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries to lead Arroyo (3-1) to a 41-14 victory over St. Mary’s (2-2) on the road.
Arroyo’s Joseph Estes (5) gains yardage as St. Mary’s Wyatt Swanson (6) attempts to stop him during the first half of their football game at St. Mary’s High School in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
“I just thought about how I didn’t play last year and how they beat us,” Estes said. “I just wanted to get it back in blood. I had to let them know.”
After St. Mary’s running back Wyatt Swanson took a handoff 65 yards to the house, the Panthers led 13-6 with just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Arroyo’s Zakir Armstrong (4) makes a diving tackle against St. Mary’s Wyatt Swanson (6) during the first half of their football game at St. Mary’s High School in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
But that would be the last time the home team would put points on the board.
On the ensuing possession, Arroyo capped off a six play, 68-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run from Estes to tie the game.
The Dons then recovered an onside kick on the kickoff that led to a 30-yard Estes trot to the end zone one play into the drive that gave them a 20-13 lead.
The next sequence of events were like déjà vu for St. Mary’s.
On the next kickoff, Arroyo recovered another onside kick. Minutes later, Estes scored again on a one-play, 60-yard touchdown rush that gave the Dons a two-score lead.
Arroyo’s Joseph Estes (5) celebrates a touchdown against St. Mary’s High during the first half of their football game at St. Mary’s High School in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
“That moment was pivotal,” said St. Mary’s coach Casey Moreno. “It took away opportunities for our offense to score. They did exactly what they should have done. We never showed we could make a play on it and so they kept going to it.”
The gut punch for St. Mary’s came at the end of the first half when Willie Johnson broke free for a 66-yard run to the end zone that made the score 34-13 going into halftime.
Arroyo’s Willie Johnson (5) runs with the ball against St. Mary’s High during the second half of their football game at St. Mary’s High School in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
At the end of the first half, Estes had totaled 159 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries.
“We took what they gave us and obviously that was the running game,” said Arroyo coach Jeffery Pride. “We executed it. We worked on it all week. The kids just executed the game plan, plain and simple: Run the ball.”
Arroyo ended their scoring for the afternoon with none other than a Estes touchdown, this time from 27 yards out in the fourth quarter.
The Dons held St. Mary’s spread offense to just 146 yards of total offense while controlling the clock with the run game.
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“This offensive line and running back group is up there with one of the best in the whole state,” said Arroyo quarterback Jonah Shelton. “These guys are elite, especially the offensive line unit today. They’re just playing great. Plus Joseph (Estes), who’s been killing it all year.”
While it was a tough loss for St. Mary’s, the Panthers will have little time to think about Saturday’s defeat as they get another tough test against Kennedy-Fremont next week.
“I think we gotta focus on the positives, learn from our mistakes and not make too much of this,” Moreno said. “This doesn’t make our season. We still have six games left, you know, we’re 2-2 and we’ve done a lot of good things. We’re going to continue to focus on those good things.”
Arroyo will get a bye week before playing Hercules on Oct. 5.
Arroyo’s Willie Johnson (8) and Joseph Estes (5) celebrate Estes’ touchdown against St. Mary’s High during the second half of their football game at St. Mary’s High School in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)