Tenner, a standout football player for Homestead in the mid-1990s, made many tackles for the Mustangs at Sunnyvale's Diesner Field. It was with great joy that he worked the visitors' sideline of his old stomping grounds, securing his first career win as a head coach and directing his Leland team to its first win in three tries this season.

"First of all, I'm real proud of our players," Tenner gleamed after the 33-7 victory. "They worked real hard this week--we ran them hard every day. Then they came out here and played their butts off.

"But, it is great to get my first win as a head coach against my high school team."

Leland set the tone early, scoring the first time it got the ball, then turning Homestead mistakes into a 27-0 halftime lead. The Chargers ran left, right and center for 196 yards and four touchdowns during the first half. They scored on four of their first five possessions.

"We grew up a little bit tonight," Tenner noted, referring to the four juniors and one sophomore that joined senior tight end Travis Delamore along the offensive front.

On Leland's first offensive play, from its 25-yard line, senior fullback Nick Mortensen quickly hit a hole made by center Daniel Schroeder, left guard Roland Li and tackle Willie Baumeister. Then the 5-foot-11, 205-pounder burst outside and up the left sideline. He galloped 74 yards on the play before being pushed out at Homestead's one. He bolted into the end zone on the next play. A.J. Deimling's PAT kick was good, putting Leland ahead 7-0 just two minutes into the game.

Early in the second quarter junior Adam Ondi raced through a huge hole in the right side of the line and scored a 46-yard touchdown, making it 13-0. Senior quarterback Kyle Walker first faked a hand-off to Steven Ruel, who was sweeping to the left, then handed the ball to Ondi, who used the trap blocking of Schroeder, guard Jon Erickson and tackle Bryan Jones to quickly get into Homestead's secondary.

"The offensive line was unbelievable," praised Walker. "They made great holes, and the backs ran unbelievably hard."

"We owe this game to the offensive line," echoed Mortensen, the game's top rusher with 99 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

Early in the second quarter, senior Mike Dally's blocked punt had given Leland possession at the Homestead 16. On the third play, junior Lance Gemette slashed off right tackle for a 10-yard TD. Mortensen's two-point conversion run made it 21-0 with 7:43 in the half.

Less than three minutes later, Gemette picked up a Homestead fumble and sprinted 26 yards to the Mustangs' 24. Seven plays later Mortensen picked up his third rushing touchdown of the season, a three-yard run, raising the score to 27-0 at 3:17 before intermission.

"Instead of us making mistakes like in the first two games, we were taking advantage of them," observed Walker, whose only pass completion of the game kept the Chargers' fourth drive alive.

After an illegal block, the Chargers faced third-and-21 at Homestead's 35. Walker fired a ball up the right side to Gemette, who hauled it in and reached the 5-yard line. Mortensen scored three plays later.

With the running game so dominant, Walker attempted only two other passes--both incomplete.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Chargers picked up their final points when Ondi intercepted a Homestead pass at the Leland 10 and returned it 90 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown.

Homestead's only points, an 18-yard run and a PAT kick, came with just 4:20 left in the game.

Although Homestead finished with 224 total yards (111 running, 113 passing), only 90 came in the first three quarters.

Leland's defense, led by linebackers Delamore and Mortensen, along with junior Joe Peery and seniors Richard Wellington and Melis Barota, limited Homestead to just 19 rushing yards in the first half.

George Mikhail, Gemette, Dally, T.J. Mosher, Negad Zaky, Branden Denault, Ruel , Ondi and Shay Taylor also contributed to the fine defensive work.

Leland was successful holding down the Mustangs potent running attack. Highly touted senior Jay Atkins, who scored two long kick returns the week before against Branham, gained 34 yards on 12 carries. Brian Backo, who ran for 129 yards against the Bruins, managed just 10 yards on eight carries.

"We were more concerned with Backo," Tenner explained some of the Chargers' defensive strategy going into the game. "We knew Atkins would get his touches and yards. We felt we had to shut down Backo and the sweep."

Meanwhile, the Chargers finished with 305 yards, all but Walker's 30-yard pass on the ground. In addition to Mortensen's 99 yards, Ondi gained 85 on seven carries. Ruel added 17 yards, Deimling 15 in two carries, Kevin Battipede 12 in three rushes and Steve Kawamura packed the ball once for two yards.

With a bye this weekend, the Chargers have extra time to prepare for their league opener against Leigh. The Longhorns, who take a 1-1 record into a game against Westmont on Sept. 23, will visit Leland on Oct. 1, 1:15 p.m.