Just two weeks ago, Banning High’s weight room was its training ground.
Banning bulked up and lifted together, side by side throughout the preseason with its field still unfinished for practices and Friday night lights as they awaited new turf.
Salvador Zamora, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound left tackle, “became an animal” as he worked out alongside teammates, coach Raymond Grajeda said.
“Coach makes it mandatory for us,” Zamora said. “I don’t think we’ll be as good as without the weight room.”
Grajeda said it’s where Zamora and 16-year-old senior Steven Perez — Banning’s Swiss army knife — continued to blossom into leaders, channeling their “heart and pride” and preaching accountability.
The Pilots itched for the go-ahead — the moment to run out onto the field as a team. An itch that was evident in their performance Friday night.
With Banning returned to its home turf for its season opener, Zamora and the Pilots’ offensive line paved the way for Perez to burst by Dorsey and never look back. Perez — who started at quarterback and safety — surged for 32-yard and 60-yard touchdown runs in the first half alone, leading Banning to a 49-21 victory in City Section nonleague action.
“Steven plays with hard pride and emotion, and he has a determination that we haven’t seen here in a long time at Banning,” Grajeda said. “He plays with a different level of emotion.”
Perez did it all for the Pilots. He finished with 126 yards in nine carries, brought a pick-six 96 yards downfield to give Banning a 33-0 halftime lead and tossed his first career touchdown pass to ice the game in the fourth quarter.
“This is my first year playing playing quarterback,” Perez said. “I’ve never played quarterback in my life. … I’ve been training all summer. I’ve been working for this moment.”
Senior running back/linebacker Keshawn Galloway was second best in the Pilots’ rushingattack, closing the contest with 100 yards and one touchdown. Perez pointed to Zamora for leading the offensive line to help Banning push for a ground-and-pound rushing focus Friday.
Zamora is “the leader of our O-line,” Perez said. “He’s the leader of our team. He’s the one who keeps our O-line intact. He’s the one who keeps us together, and he’s the one who leads the way for us.”
Banning, which won its 13th City Section football title last year, ended the night with 364 all-purpose yards as Dorsey coach Stafon Johnson and the Dons never found the solution to stop the Pilots’ offense.
Dorsey scored all 21 of its points in the second half. Freshman wide receiver Stafon Johnson Jr. tallied 52 yards on three catches with one touchdown in his high school debut.
“We were the underdog,” Grajeda said. “Now we got to keep showing them that we’re not.”
