Yuba City gets first win of the year
There was so much to revel in, so much to appreciate and gawk over as the Honkers finally emerged from an early season slump.
The powerful runs from Nate Van Dusen, the big-time catches from his brother James, the overall improvement from two weeks of fumbling and lackluster energy — all easy takeaways from the Yuba City High football team's 41-28 victory over Lincoln on Friday.
But for the players themselves and their head coach, one positive stood out as they bounded off Honker Stadium's turf after their first win of the season: Taylor Elkins came through.
The junior quarterback connected with James Van Dusen four times for 121 yards and a touchdown, added some big scrambles on the ground and demonstrated why he belongs under center for the Brown and Gold, his teammates and coach said.
"He's more than capable, the kid's a stud," Honkers coach John Ithurburn said. "Did you see some of those passes he threw? I mean they were right on the money."
It was the same level of adoration from the players. After the postgame chat, the Honkers made sure to get Elkins in the middle of the pack for the break cheer. In their opinion, he deserved it after taking the first two losses of the season (22-21 to Cosumnes Oaks; 19-10 to Maria Carrillo) personally.
"I gotta give a shout out to Taylor," James Van Dusen said. "Taylor played huge this week."
For example: The opening drive of the third quarter. It was four plays, 74 yards, with Elkins leading the way. First came the 25-yard scramble. Then he threw a complete strike to James Van Dusen as he streaked into the end zone for a 26-yard score.
"Yeah, I played with more confidence," Elkins said. "The first couple of games I was kind of rattled."
The Honkers entered halftime tied 14-14 with the Fighting Zebras, who returned the opening kickoff of the game for a touchdown. They had the opportunity to take a lead into halftime, but a touchdown pass from Elkins was dropped.
No worries. Especially with Nate Van Dusen plowing through defenders, then burning secondaries in the open field. He rushed 16 times for 274 yards and three scores. Julian Saavedra also scored on runs of 1 and 40 yards.
If Elkins was the surprise, the runs of Van Dusen were a healthy serving of comfort food for Honker fans, who have now celebrated three straight wins in a row over Lincoln. Last year, the Honkers topped Lincoln 35-28 in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.
