Leland entered the contest with a four-game winning streak on the line. It was apparent from the opening kick-off that the Chargers were intent on preserving it. By the time the dust had settled, Leland (6-1) had pounded out a 49-6 victory over Willow Glen (4-3).

"Our kids played well and did what they had to do," said Leland coach Kelly Edwards.

That could be the understatement of the year considering what took place in the first quarter.

Leland's Arthur King fielded the opening kick-off at his own 10-yard line and with some excellent broken field running took the ball 58 yards to the Willow Glen 32. On the second play from scrimmage, Charger quarterback Joe Hurley hit Sean Connors on an 18-yard pass for a touchdown. Connors split the uprights—which he would do seven times on the day—for the PAT, and 38 seconds into the game Leland had a 7-0 lead.

Leland's defense forced the Rams to go three and out, which would prove to be a sign of what was to come. The Charger defenders always seemed to be exactly where they needed to be and never really let the Rams offense get untracked all day long.

This time the Chargers worked their way down the field mostly on the hard-nosed running of Mike Day. He carried the ball six times in the drive and blasted up the middle from the 1-yard line for the touchdown, increasing the Chargers lead to 14-0.

There were about five minutes left in the first quarter and they would prove to be a nightmare for the Rams.

Two plays later, Rams quarterback Chris Hobbs lost the handle on the snap from center and Taylor Hubbard recovered for the Chargers at the Willow Glen 19-yard line. Day rushed three straight times, taking it in from the 1-yard line for his second touchdown.

On the first play after the kick-off, Hobbs was pressured by Charger Blake Thomas, forcing an errant pass that was picked off by Kyle McDaniel near midfield. Three plays later, Connors took the ball from Day on a reverse and zigzagged his way 14 yards into the endzone.

The Rams were forced to punt again and it only took the Chargers two plays to put their fifth touchdown of the quarter on the board. Alex Bynum blasted it in from the 1-yard line with 31 seconds left in the quarter, upping Leland's lead to 35-0.

Leland would score once more before the half on a 20-yard toss from Hurley to McDaniel, stretching the Chargers advantage to 42-0 at halftime.

Hurley had a fine day, completing 6 of 10 passes for 126 yards, two for touchdowns. Connors led the way for the receivers with three catches for 63 yards. McDaniels had two for 31 yards and Bynum added one for 32 yards.

Day was Leland's workhorse for the afternoon. Going into the game, Day was ranked second in rushing in CCS and he made a strong effort to hold onto that ranking. He ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carriers.

The Chargers offensive production was due in part to the fine performance of the offensive line.

"Our kids on the line need to be recognized for the job they did," said Edwards. The Charger backs had room to run because of the efforts of center Alex Gregarick, guards Alex Baumeister and Tyler Graf, and tackles Scott Glicksberg and Gabe Castaneda.

The second half did not have anywhere near the offensive fireworks displayed in the first quarter. It was a back and forth battle between two good football teams—one working to salvage some pride and the other seeking to finish a good day's work.

Willow Glen came out with a lot of fire and enthusiasm and no hint of giving up. Lalo Garces took the opening kick-off and returned it 41 yards to midfield. One play later Garces was done for the day when he left the field with a twisted ankle. Garces was the Rams leading rusher with only 38 yards on 10 carries.

J.C. Drummer stepped in for Garces and was key in the Rams only touchdown drive of the game as he rushed five times and got a crucial first down to keep the drive alive. Drummer finished the game with nine carries for 28 yards.

Willow Glen broke the scoring ice when Hobbs lofted a soft 19-yard scoring toss to the corner of the endzone where Justin Ble went high over the defender to make the grab. Hobbs threw for 68 yards, completing 7 of 16 passes with the one touchdown and two interceptions. Ble grabbed two for 22 yards and Alex Green caught three for 25 yards.

It looked like Willow Glen was back in business with another opportunity to score when Robert Oropeza got in the middle of a screen pass attempt and snagged an interception, returning it deep into Charger territory. However, the Rams were unable to cash in when three plays later Leland returned the favor as Charger Darren Gemoll grabbed the interception and returned it all the way to the Rams 37-yard line. This set up the final score of the day as Day scampered the 37 yards on the next play for a touchdown.

Both coaches began freely substituting in the fourth quarter, giving backup players the chance to get some game experience. Quarterback Stephen Akerson directed the Charger offense and running back Andrew Pak gained 15 yards on five carries. The Rams had quarterback Stephan Alanis finish out the game.

Leland heads back into division competition this week as the Chargers travel to Westmont on Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m. Westmont sits in a tie for second place in the division and will be a tough challenge for the Chargers.

"They have played well and have a lot of speed," said Edwards. "We will have to bring our 'A' game if we want to beat them."