Ballard travels to California for the first time

Sam Heikell, Sports Editor
Originally published September 10, 2015

The football team played their farthest road game in school history, Friday, September 4, traveling to Riverside county, California to play the Vista Murrieta Broncos and kick off the 2015 season.

The Broncos quickly set the tone for the game with a 50-yard passing touchdown on the opening drive of the game. The Beavers then got their punt blocked on the next drive which resulted in a Murrietta touchdown on the ensuing play. With a few more long touchdown passes, the Broncos led 35-6 after the first quarter and never let up. They ended the game with a whopping ten touchdowns and had 124 more yards from scrimmage than the Beavers.

Despite the loss, Ballard showed some bright spots. Senior quarterback Davine Tullis threw for 161 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including a 74-yard scramble for a touchdown off of a broken play in the first quarter. “He [Tullis] has great size and athleticism,” coach Blayn Washington said. “He was one of the most talented players out there.”

Also, late in the game, junior De’Lovante Sanders, showing great speed and acceleration, returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown running from sideline to sideline.

Despite the loss, Ballard is determined to improve and be successful this year in the Metro league. “It’s always disappointing to lose,” junior linebacker Corbin Gabrel said. “But now we know where we are at. We can learn from our mistakes and start to put it all together.”

Vista Murrieta, a top 200 team in the nation,was a great challenge for the Beavers and will likely be the toughest team that they will have to face all season.