Going into his second season at the helm, Orestimba High football head coach Austin Martins set a couple goals. One of them was to remain undefeated going into Trans-Valley League play.
The Warriors finished 2-9 overall and winless against league opponents at 0-6 last season. It was the fewest wins in a season for the program since 2013, where the team finished 1-9.
“We didn’t want to look past anyone,” Martins said. “The goal was just going 1-0 each week, and that meant going 4-0 at the end of the journey.”
On the road in a loud environment, Orestimba did just that as they shutout Waterford High 35-0 last Friday. It was the program’s first shutout since a 33-0 performance against Delhi High in November 2024
The Warriors concluded its non-league slate at 4-0 while the Wildcats fell to 1-2 overall.
Similar to how it has performed early in the season, Orestimba’s offense was primarily orchestrated through its run game. The running back duo of Michael Maier and Hunter Silva seemingly moved past defenders to lead the Warriors down the field. Both players recorded a combined four touchdowns on the ground.
As running the ball became a focus going into the season, the Martins contributed its early success to the offseason practices and the players’ commitment. He added that Maier is the leader who “leads by example.”
Warriors quarterback Jorden Jacobo contributed two total TDs, one through the air and one on the ground.
While the offense found success against Waterford’s defense, Orestimba’s defense had its best performance so far this season. From forcing a turnover on downs to recovering fumbles, the Wildcats offense had no answer to the Warriors’ defensive front.
Despite the shutout, Martins said he’s not satisfied with the performance and believes the team has some aspects to improve on. “There’s things that we still need to fix,” he said. “And I think that’s the exciting thing is that these guys … they’re excited. They want to get in the lab, they want to fix things.”
After forcing a Wildcats’ turnover on downs at their own territory, the Warriors, in a five-play drive, got on the board after Silva rushed in the end zone, 6-0.
The same situation happened in the second quarter where Orestimba’s defense forced another turnover on downs at the 50-yard line. After a pass interference call on Waterford, the Warriors were at the 35-yard line. Silva later took off for a 33-yard run and was stopped at the goal line.
That led to Jacobo running in the end zone to extend Orestimba’s lead to 12-0. At the Wildcats’ 11-yard line, the Warriors defense forced and recovered a fumble. This set up Maier for a rushing touchdown for a 19-0 lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Wildcats continued to make mistakes as quarterback Ruben Pastran fumbled the ball and recovered it at his team’s 2-yard line. It proved to be costly as the Orestimba defensive front later forced a safety to lead 21-0.
With the first half coming to an end, Jacobo threw for a TD to Maier to lead 28-0 going into halftime.
The Warriors momentum continued on their drive of the second half. Maier ran past multiple Wildcats' defenders and broke through for a 50-yard TD to lead 35-0. That was more than enough for Orestimba to hold on and win.
With the conclusion of its non-league slate, the Warriors will open TVL play on the road against Sonora High (2-2) on Friday at 7 p.m.
“We got to go one game at a time and take it to them,” Martins said.
