Everyone who is familiar with local high school athletics knows that this new Northwest Athletic Conference (NAC) will be much tougher than the old West Sierra League.
And Dos Palos High found that out last Friday.
The Broncos opened NAC play by dealing with the relentless Liberty-Madera Ranchos running attack and coming up short, 39-29.
With their record now at 4-2, Dos Palos will now turn its attention to another tough opponent in the Mendota Aztecs in a Homecoming special. Like the Broncos, Mendota is 4-2 on the season and was beaten by Chowchilla last Friday, 42-18.
The Liberty Hawks feature a fly offense that pounds the ball in between the tackles. When the defense crowds into the middle, they run a counter to the outside or go to a play-action pass.
Junior Henry Bilskey may only stand at 5 feet 8 inches tall and weigh 160 pounds, but he was the workhorse for Liberty, carrying the ball 25 times for an amazing 297 yards and scoring one TD.
The Hawks finished with 362 yards on the ground as they jetted out to an 18-7 first-quarter lead. The Broncos were able to close the gap thanks to a TD run in the second quarter, but Liberty effectively put the game away with a pair of TDs in the third quarter.
When Dos Palos tried to key on stopping Bilskey, junior quarterback Brody Von Flue found open receivers for four TDs on only 10 attempts.
The Broncos did continue their fight to get back into the game, scoring two TDs in the final quarter. Junior running back Nick Emory scored three TDs and gained 81 yards on 13 carries. Quarterback Nate Galindo added 76 yards on 14 carries, and he hit wide receiver Marcos Wheeler for a TD.
Linebackers Justin Hurd and JJ Corchado led the Dos Palos defense with three tackles each.
