SAN JOSE — Phillips to Phillips has a nice ring to it for the Lincoln High School football team.
Senior quarterback Tayden Phillips threw the passes and freshman wide receiver Kyan Phillips was on the receiving end, making five catches for 149 yards as Lincoln rolled to a 40-12 victory over Branham in a non-league matchup between two teams that were both undefeated heading into the game.
Lincoln’s pass attack served as complement and counterpoint to its ground game featuring diminutive workhorse running back Salvador Espinoza, all 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds of him, who carried 23 times for 144 yards and scored three touchdowns.
But that brotherly pass combo has some high-level chemistry going for it. A couple of the catches Kyan made were on the difficult end of the spectrum, under tight coverage with a small window for success.
“He does things you can’t coach,” Lincoln coach Kevin Collins said.
And when big brother Tayden went out for one play after taking a hit on a kickoff return, it was the freshman brother who took his place at quarterback.
“It’s cool,” Collins said. “Their parents work at the school and I was in their wedding.”
Tayden Philips, who has already made a trip to New Hampshire to visit Dartmouth and is heading to Cal Poly for a visit today, rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns and completed 8 of 10 passes for 189 yards.
Lincoln (5-0) led 7-0 after one quarter then exploded for four second-quarter touchdowns to make the score 33-0 at halftime. The Lions went in for another TD, Espinoza’s third of the game, on the first possession of the third quarter to make it 40-0.
“We played really well tonight,” Collins said. “The big guys all showed up.”
Linemen Francisco Martinez, Louie Catano, Brian Contreras and Dais Macias all turned in outstanding performances.
Elias Antillion scored two touchdowns for Branham (5-1), on an 18-yard run in the third quarter and a 2-yard run in the fourth.
Branham quarterback William Augenstein carried 20 times for 135 yards. He was 12 of 27 passing for 126 yards but suffered his first two interceptions of the season — a one-handed grab by Tayden Phillips in the end zone to thwart an early Branham scoring threat, and a sideline theft by Roman Lawrence that he returned 30 yards for a touchdown.
Lincoln opens Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division play Thursday at Christopher. Branham will attempt to rebound in a BVAL Santa Teresa Division game at home against Gilroy on Friday.
“Kevin Collins has been here longer than I’ve been alive,” Branham coach Stephen Johnson said. “I have nothing but respect, hats off to Lincoln. We got hit in the mouth. It was a humbling experience the kids needed. So now are they going to lay down and quit or are they going to respond and come back stronger? We’ll learn about the character of our team, starting Monday.”
