By Brock Stafford | Still the sports editor

Bass Lake Canoes opened the varsity football season Friday with a convincing 47-0 loss to the Semi-City Automobiles.

Semi-City (1-0) bolted to a 19-0 lead behind the rushing attack of Jeremiah Jericho, a senior all-state running back, who rolled up 102 rushing yards before most fans were settled into their seats (after buying popcorn).

Bass Lake’s offense struggled throughout the game, failing to cross midfield until halfway through the first two-fifths of the third quarter.

By then, the Autos already held a 33-0 advantage, and showed no signs of letting up or slowing down.

Following the loss, BLHS head coach Zeb Dreppelin was disheartened, exasperated and deflated.

“You’ve heard the phrase ‘whatever can go wrong, will?’” Dreppelin said. “Well, this was worse.”

A bright spot for the Canoes (0-1) was sophomore punter Elaine MacLaney, who averaged 45.45 yards per boot in 11 attempts.

“That’s an all-conference performance, if you ask me,” MacLaney said.

Bass Lake entered the 2018 campaign with optimism, following one of the program’s least-unsuccessful seasons of the millennium in 2017, finishing the regular season 4-5, despite scoring only two touchdowns the entire year (buoyed by being plus-8 in safeties scored/allowed ratio).

Bass Lake’s home opener is Friday vs. Prairie Depths, to begin Moonshine Conference play.