Beauer’s Timing Leads Canyon, 35-15

Clint Beauer just happened to be in the right place--Alemany High’s defensive secondary--at the right time--all evening--as Canyon whipped Alemany, 35-15, Friday night at Canyon.

Beauer, a junior wide receiver, hauled in 7 passes for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter, fourth-down, 29-yard Hail Mary throw that he tipped to himself in the end zone.

“It just sort of fell on me and I grabbed it,” Beauer said.

The win improved Canyon’s nonleague record to 3-2 after an 0-2 start.

“I feel a lot better now than I did three weeks ago,” Coach Harry Welch said. “Sometimes good things happen when you’re playing well. Heck, Clint’s hot.”

So was Alemany tailback Tyler Robuck, who entered the game as the Valley’s leading rusher. Robuck, however, spent much of the evening in the wrong place, which was either on the ground or on his way there with 2 or more Canyon escorts.

Robuck finished with 35 yards in 16 carries.

“It was just an off game,” Robuck said. “We just gotta bounce back.”

Added Canyon nose tackle Justin Fix: “We weren’t keying on anybody. We were just swarming like a bunch of bees.”

Alemany (3-2) finished with just 22 yards rushing, leaving junior quarterback Joey Rosselli (18 of 29, 208 yards, 1 touchdown) to lead the offense.

After Canyon scored 21 unanswered points in the first quarter, Rosselli pitched 24 yards to Robuck for a touchdown and led the Indians deep into Cowboy territory in the final minute of the first half.

But from the 1-yard line, Rosselli was stacked up on consecutive quarterback sneaks, the second on fourth down as time expired.

“That just kind of broke our hearts,” said Alemany Coach Pat Blackburn, who argued vigorously with officials over the final play. “I don’t see how they can make a call after the pile has cleared.”

An 8-yard keeper by Rod Baltau gave Canyon a 7-0 lead. Two 1-yard runs by Robuck, a Rosselli incomplete pass and a punt later, the Cowboys again punched into Alemany territory. Chris Peery’s 1-yard dive for a touchdown gave Canyon a 14-0 lead.

Less than 2 minutes later, Chad Nell’s 52-yard punt return gave Canyon its 3-touchdown, first-quarter advantage.

Alemany was limited to 12 yards total offense in the first quarter but came to life in the second as Rosselli completed 6 of 8 for 95 yards.

Any flame the Indians tried to ignite, however, was doused by the Cowboys’ goal-line stand.

“Our defense is bordering on awesome,” Welch said. “Especially John Bietsch, Brian Zemojtel and Sean McCune.”

Canyon’s Baltau, who completed 8 of 14 passes for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns, marched the Cowboys 58 yards in 7 plays on Canyon’s first possession of the second half. Baltau rolled out and hit Beauer with a 13-yard strike for the touchdown.

Canyon chewed up the remaining 6:13 of the quarter with a 12-play, 66-yard drive that culminated with Beauer’s juggling catch on the first play of the final period.

Alemany’s Mark Dannemiller ran 6 yards for the Indians’ final score with 2:16 to play.