Football Recap: Clovis East Starts Season with Win Against Bullard

Clovis East took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 26-7 victory over the Bullard Knights. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Timberwolves' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Knights are ranked 225th).

Jamie Spurgeon was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 260 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 117 yards while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Those 260 passing yards gave him a new career-high. A healthy portion of Spurgeon's aerial production (82 yards to be exact) went to James Drake.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Clovis East was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 210 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 151 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Another reason for the win was Clovis East's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 4.5 sacks. Geno Capriola refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Bullard's side was Capriola, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Clovis East is packing up and heading out for their first away game of the season: they will take on Kingsburg at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Bullard, they will head out to challenge Mayfair at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.