Wolverines Defeat Jaguars, 31-7

By Alix Glynn

Wolverines defeated the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars by a score of 31-7 in front of an enthusiastic crowd Friday night at the Wolvarena.

The Wolverines scored on the opening drive of the game. In a key play on fourth down, the Wolverines faked a punt and quarterback Patrick Menifee ran 31 yards for a first down. A 2-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jaimire Dutrieuille capped the eight-play, 67-yard drive for the Wolverines.

After the defense stopped the Jaguars, the Wolverines got the ball back on the TJ 27-yard line. Alex Beasley and Dutrieuille ran for first downs, while Menifee completed a four-yard touchdown pass to senior Shakim Alonzo to extend the Wolverine lead to 14-0.

Thirty seconds into the second quarter, Harry Randall returned a punt 55 yards to the TJ five-yard line, but the Wolverines did not score. The Jaguars took over at their own 5-yard line but fumbled, and Dutrieuille recovered and returned it for a touchdown, making the score 21-0.

The Wolverines had another chance to extend the lead before halftime after a 35-yard rush by Menifee, but Sam Scifo missed a 44-yard field goal.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Mike Caprara recovered a TJ fumble, which led to another scoring drive. Quarterback Henry Randall came in for Menifee and connected with Jason Peterson for a 23-yard touchdown pass, giving Woodland Hills a commanding 28-0 lead.

“Sometimes you just know when you have the game in hand. I wanted to give other players a chance to do things,” Coach George Novak said.

Menifee finished with 65 rushing yards and 3 for 5 passing—and a touchdown. Dutrieuille was another star, with two rushing touchdowns.

After a 20-yard run by Ronald Brown, the Wolverines were again in scoring range. They picked up a first down, but instead of going for another touchdown, Sam Scifo kicked a 37-yard field goal.

“We have a good kicker, and I wanted to get him some practice in the game,” Novak said.

TJ scored its lone touchdown with five seconds remaining in the third quarter. Fumble recoveries by Anthony Cioppa and Mike Smith prevented the Jaguars from adding more in the fourth quarter, as the defense remained strong.

“We set the mark and set it high," Caprara said. "These are the building blocks, and we’ll take it one game at a time and go from there"