MidValleySports.Com

(Pico Rivera) – La Serna took advantage of two miscues and untimely penalties by El Rancho as they held on to a 24-7 Del Rio League win.

Tommy Ruiz ran for 78 yards on six carries and scored two times. Ruiz’s touchdown from 47-yards out with two minutes and six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter was the dagger the Lancers needed to seal the victory.

The game was marred by 240 yards in penalties between the two schools with La Serna accounting for 150 yards on 23 penalties called.

The Dons didn’t take advantage of any of the calls that went in their favor, especially midway in the fourth quarter while trailing by 10 points.

El Rancho’s Daniel Moriel intercepted La Serna’s Andrew Buenrostro at the Don 42-yard line. Andrew Rosales would be flagged during the play for a face-mask and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that resulted in 30-yards in penalties. The Dons began the drive at the 28-yard line but would squander the opportunity on four downs and out.

Ronnel Lone got El Rancho off on the right foot early in the game with an impressive 50-yard bolt to the end zone to give the Dons its only lead at 7-0.

Penalties would haunt the Dons on the next series. Lone received a great bubble screen from Troy Campos and ran down the sideline for what appeared to be a 47-yard gain only to be called back for an illegal shift. The drive subsequently stalled at La Serna’s 47-yard line.

The wheels would soon fall off for El Rancho with Lancer’s quarterback Andrew Buenrostro going to work finding Rosales and Richard Alvarez for gains of 18 and 29 yards. The Lancers would punch it in from one-yard out with a bruising run by Craig Jones to tie the score.

On the next series Campos would be intercepted by Connor Burke who returned the interception 14 yards to the Don 24-yard line.

On the fourth play of the drive for La Serna, Ruiz found the end zone from seven-yards out.

Tommy Ruiz gets by an El Rancho defender. Photo by Anne Cypress.