MILL VALLEY -- Kameron Hunter ran for two scores and passed for another as the American Canyon football team cruised past Tamalpais 34-13 in its Redwood Empire Conference-Valley opener Saturday afternoon.
"We put points on the board and keep people from scoring," Wolves head coach Marcellus Holmes said. "That's our main thing and that's what we did today."
American Canyon took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hunter to Kamani Santos, who was just able to keep his toes in bounds, and a two-point conversion run from Andre Lopez.
In the second quarter, American Canyon got a 14-yard scoring keeper from Hunter and a 2-yard TD plunge from Lopez -- with missed extra points -- for a 20-7 halftime lead at Sam Chapman Stadium.
Timo Ural caught his second touchdown pass of the game in the third quarter for the Red-Tailed Hawks (1-5, 1-1 REC-Valley). But Hunter scored on a 24yard jaunt and Marcus Hughes ran in the two-point conversion to keep the Wolves ahead by two possessions, 28-13.
Cole Gholar gave American Canyon more breathing room in the fourth quarter with an interception that he returned 17 yards for a touchdown.
The Wolves are ranked 17th in the North Coast Section by MaxPreps.com and their closest league opponent, Casa Grande (2-4, 2-0 REC-Valley), is just 35th. But the Gauchos toughened up during a difficult 0-4 preseason and showed it in a 21-18 win over 43rd-ranked Redwood on Friday night at Petaluma High, where they are playing their home games this season while their own field gets revamped. Casa has won 16 straight league games, a streak it started after a 23-22 Vine Valley Athletic League loss at American Canyon in 2022. But the Wolves don't play the Gauchos until Nov. 1.
"Moving forward, we've got to keep them locked in," Holmes said. "This is league. Every game is a championship. We're trying to place ourselves good and make it to the playoffs, of course. But it's a week-by-week stage and you can't look ahead too far."
Not only are the Wolves deep, but their receiving corps just got deeper. Holmes said senior speedster Webster Burks has joined the team after getting his academic priorities in order.
"He's a big addition, so I think we're going to progress pretty good," Holmes said. "We have a good problem at running back, too. Any one of those guys can come in and just score. They are pretty seasoned. They understand, you know, don't turn over the ball, just keep leverage going forward."
American Canyon was scheduled to host Justin-Siena this Friday night. But the Braves' athletic director, Andy Bettencourt, said in an email blast Monday afternoon that Justin-Siena will forfeit the game. The Wolves (5-1, 2-0 REC-Valley) now have two weeks to prepare for Petaluma's visit on Oct. 17.
"This choice prioritizes the health and safety of our student-athletes, ensures fairness to American Canyon, and aligns with league protocols," Bettencourt said. "We will continue to review the situation on a week-to-week basis and hope to return to play next week (Oct. 17 against visiting Casa Grande)."
The Braves (0-6, 0-3 REC-Valley) have no seniors and are led by junior quarterback Bryden Landry, who threw for touchdowns of 25 and 30 yards in Friday night's 57-12 loss at Petaluma. Justin-Siena has scored in four straight games.
Napa Valley Register Correspondent Matt Ramos III contributed to this report.
You can reach Sports Editor Andy Wilcox at andy.wilcox@napanews.com or 707-256-2220.