ATHERTON — From one sideline, the Menlo-Atherton football team could look across the field, count 21 Menlo School players in uniform, and fortify a game plan of wearing out a thin lineup by pounding the ball into the line.
From the other sideline, Menlo School could look across and see the Bears’ best player – one of the nation’s best players – in a yellow sweatsuit, steadying himself with crutches under each arm, and with a bulky brace over one knee.
Jurrion Dickey, a five-star receiver and Oregon commit, has not played in a month, but his injury situation was relatively hidden until it could no longer be.
After Menlo-Atherton’s 24-14 victory over the visiting Knights on Friday night in Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play, Dickey shed some light on his condition.
“I’ve got a little meniscus tear,” Dickey said. “It was scoped. Feeling good.”
He smiled.
“I’ll be back this year,” he said. “You’ll see me.”
Menlo-Atherton coach Chris Saunders preferred to let Dickey speak for himself if he chose to do so, conceding only that “I wouldn’t expect him to play at this point moving forward,” Saunders said.
If Dickey is done for the year, he had an impactful four-game stint after transferring from Valley Christian as a senior. Dickey had 20 catches for 453 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Bears to a 48-34 victory over traditional power Bellarmine College Prep along the way.
Meanwhile, M-A (5-3 overall, 3-1 in the division) continues to grind out victories as it heads to league-leading Sacred Heart Prep next Saturday with a chance to pull into a first-place division tie. M-A won its third straight by relying on a running game that featured 100-yard performances by Sherrod Smith and Jordan Masuisui.
On consecutive carries, Smith broke open a 10-7 game with back-to-back third-quarter scoring runs of 48 and 30 yards. He gained 151 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns.
“Sherrod’s an explosive player,” Saunders said. “He brings that element to our offense.”
The 5-foot-9, 270-pound Masuisui gained a career-high 108 yards on 10 bruising carries. But even with a huge roster-size advantage (52 are listed), Menlo-Atherton had trouble shaking the Knights.
“You only play with 11,” Menlo-Atherton coach Chris Saunders said. “I told Coach Smith, I love his 21. Those dudes go to war. At the end of the day, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. I think they proved that.”
Menlo School (4-4, 1-2) gained only two first downs in the first half but trailed only 10-0. The Knights gained only 170 yards overall, but managed a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive on the first series of the second half.
Facing a fourth-and-goal at the 2, Menlo lined up on the left hashmark and with two receivers and an imbalanced line favoring the right. But Menlo went left. Ty Richardson motioned from the right to take a short shovel pass and angled a lunge just inside the left pylon for the score.
Menlo planned an onside kick in just such a situation to seize the momentum. But it failed.
“We took a chance,” Menlo School coach Todd Smith said. “It was a little bit of a risk and we went for
it.”
Given a short field, M-A quarterback Billy Johnson caused Menlo defenders to bite on a play-action fake sweep, leaving Smith with a hole up the middle. He stiff-armed the final defender on the way to a 48-yard score.
Menlo earned only two first downs – one on a 32-yard fade from Jake Bianchi to Robby Enright for a
touchdown with 5:00 left – on six possessions thereafter.
“Our kids want to win football games,” Smith said. “We coach them to win football games. We’re disappointed. It’s not like we come off the field and say, ‘We played tough against a perennial league power. We don’t look at it like that. But at the same time, I’m exceptionally proud of our team.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com