On Friday, Aug. 22, the Rocklin Thunder took on the Turlock Bulldogs at home and dominated them in a 35-7 victory. Rocklin allowed Turlock to score only in the fourth quarter, keeping them scoreless for the first three quarters of the game, with notable performances from Greyson Smith, Brock Felkins and Asher Runnion.
Smith, a transfer from Destiny Christian, led his last team in receiving yards per game, averaging 81.4. He also led the team in receiving touchdowns with a total of 12. Smith said Rocklin “feels more like a family over here. So the brothers have accepted me, the coaches have accepted me. So it’s just been a really good, smooth transition.” In this last game, Smith shined once again, recording his first Rocklin touchdown.
With big shoes to fill replacing graduated center Dwight Nguyen, Felkins filled the role with excellence. Felkins said he is “gonna keep the small center legacy alive. You know, we’re frowned upon for being small in the O-line, but we’re some dogs up front.” Rocklin’s last two centers, Nguyen and Felkins, are not the tallest in the SFL, but they always showed up to be dominant, and that’s what Felkins did tonight.
Coming off a successful season last year, Runnion continued his success Friday, recording a forced fumble and sack near Rocklin’s own goal line, just shy of a safety. To summarize the game, Runnion said the goal was to “put the foot in mouth” of the people who were down on them to win, adding, “That’s what happens when you play with the big dogs.”
The team looks forward to its next game, which will be away in Nevada to face Bishop Manogue. The team faced Manogue last year and defeated them 48-17 at home. The Thunder look to repeat that performance this time on Manogue’s home field. The game will take place on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. See you next week!
