Braun buffles Mesa

BY PETER DUGRE
DAILY SOUND SPORTS WRITER
Setting up from the shotgun, senior quarterback Gary Braun of the Dos Pueblos Chargers had a clear view of the Rio Mesa defense. He then proceeded to pick them apart play after play either hitting his receivers or keeping the ball for explosive runs into the secondary.
Braun put in 5 touchdowns on the day, 3 rushing and 2 passing, to keep the Spartans on their heals.
Coach Jeff Uyesaka was not surprised. He said, “Braun plays his hardest. He throws and runs well. He’s a team guy.”

The Rio Mesa Spartans wasted no time getting on the board, returning the opening kick off for a touchdown. It took only one play for the Chargers to even the score when Braun completed his first touchdown on a pass to Derek Martinez for 60 yards.
The Spartans fought back. After losing yards on their next possession to pin themselves back to their own 3, quarterback Chase Perham hit Jordyn Aupiu for a short pass. Auipu took care of the rest dancing through the Chargers’ defense and breaking for a 97 yard touchdown to put Rio Mesa back on top 14-7.
The next two scores belonged to Braun. He ran for 10 and 14 yards plowing his way through a Spartan defense that bit on the draw out of respect for the pass attack that beat them on the opening drive.
The shootout continued through the first half. The Chargers handed the ball over at midfield after a pressured punt went for zero yards. Perham then went through the air to Aupiu again, this time for 33 yards, and took the lead 21-20 on the extra point halfway through the second quarter.
The Chargers defense turned it on in the second quarter and harassed Perham in the backfield. Line Backer Sean Craig picked up a sack to push the Spartans back and then Zach Beasley and Aaron Parsons forced Perham to throw a lateral pass out of bounds for a loss of 9, setting up the Chargers with ideal field position for their next drive.
And their next drive meant that Braun would again get his hands on the football and put it in the endzone. This time it came on a 10 yard run that followed a 41 yarder. Braun then kept on a two point conversion to put the Chargers up 28-21.
The defenses took over in the second half. The Spartans had success on some big receptions and runs by running back Jerell Thomas but never managed to get into the endzone. A timely sack by defensive tackle Brandon Felkner helped put a stop to a third quarter Spartans’ drive. The Spartans tried to find their rhythm through the air but were interrupted by consistent pressure and were unable to put up points behind Thomas’s footwork.
Braun slipped another touchdown in with three minutes left in the game on a 10 yard pass to tight end Luis Guzman. Dane Limosnero was the hidden jewel of the Chargers’ second half conservative ground attack, gaining first downs with his downhill running style, which featured him hitting the line of scrimmage at a full sprint each time he carried. He gained 96 yards on only 9 carries and helped the Chargers consume the clock and keep the lead even after the Spartans appeared to catch on to the Braun show.
Coach Uyesaka said the Chargers did not make any huge adjustments after losing two in a row. He said, “It was X’s and O’s. We needed to get back to playing assignments.”
Uyesaka said he had prepared a blitz package before the game. It was successful and Beasley put an exclamation point on the game by ending the Spartans’ final drive with a sack.
The Chargers are now 3-2 and sent the Spartans home 2-3.