By Tony Solorzano
(Whittier, CA) – Three touchdowns by O.J. Medina helped La Serna remain tied for first in the Del Rio League standings with a 31-28 shootout win over El Rancho Friday night at Whittier District Field.
A 92-second scoring span highlighted the excitement as the Lancers (6-1, 2-0) remained tied for first place in league with Santa Fe, who defeated Cal High 31-10. It was the second straight loss for the Dons (4-3, 0-2), who drop into a tie for last place with Whittier.
The Lancers used their first possession of the game to grind the ball across the field, using nearly eight minutes to move the ball 80 yards, culminating in Medina’s one-yard run for the early 7-0 lead with 4:08 left in the opening quarter.
The Dons responded on their first possession in record fashion, needing only 13 seconds as Joey Sanchez connected with Johnny Garcia on the first play of the drive for an 85-yard score, as Garcia broke into a wide-open Lancer backfield. However, the point after attempt by Aldair Flores was no good and the Lancers held onto the 7-6 lead, indicative of the way the game would play.
The Lancers responded on their next possession and needed only 1:06 to increase the lead, Sanchez, starting from his own 38 yard line, hit John McFarland and Mackenzie Duarte for passes of 25 and 35 yards, respectively, then handed the ball to Medina for a three-yard score with 2:36 left in the quarter.
The Lancers extended the lead to 17-6 with Tavis Guerra’s 32-yard field goal with 1:54 left in the half, but the Dons needed 58 seconds to close the gap as Sanchez hit Cameron Valencia for a 25-yard score with 56 seconds left in the half. On the point after attempt, Garcia ran the ball in for a two-point conversion and the teams went into the half with the score 17-14.
In the third, the Dons took the lead on their opening possession of the quarter. Josh Lopez took a handoff from Sanchez at the Dons’ 35-yard line and broke away towards the end zone, but was caught at the three-yard line. On the next play, Sanchez called his own number as he ran the ball in from three yards out, giving El Rancho a 21-17 lead with 10:30 left in the quarter.
La Serna, However, capitalized on two interceptions of Sanchez by Tony Ceron to stop potential scoring drives. First Ceron intercepted Sanchez in the red zone and ran the ball back to the Lancer 35, ending the threat. On the Dons’ next possession, Ceron intercepted a pass intended for Garcia on the Dons’ 20-yard line, giving the Lancers the ball with 3:10 left in the quarter. Four plays later, Lancer quarterback Frankie Palmer connected with Medina for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:41 left in the quarter.
In the fourth, the Lancers opened the quarter on their own 36, after forcing the Dons to punt as time expired in the third. Medina broke open into the Dons’ backfield on a hand-off, running 29 yards to the Dons’ 13. After a false start penalty, Palmer connected with Mackenzie Duarte for an 18-yard score, increasing the lead to 31-21 with 8:54 left in the game.
The Dons came back once more, with just over three minutes left in the game as Sanchez connected on three of four passes, capping the 65-yard drive with a 15-yard strike to Garcia, cutting the lead to 31-28.
The Dons made one final push for the win when they got the ball back with 1:08 left in the game. Sanchez threw and ran the ball to the Lancer 19, but was called for an intentional grounding penalty, putting him on the Lancer 35 with three seconds left and a fourth and 26. Unfortunately, his pass attempt to Garcia in the end zone was picked off by Justin Ballesteros as time expired, preserving the win for the Lancers.
Next week, the Lancers face off against the Chiefs at Titan Stadium to decide first place in the Del Rio, while El Rancho hosts Pioneer at Dons Memorial Stadium.
SCORING SUMMARY
El Rancho 6 8 7 7 28
La Serna 14 3 7 7 31
SCORING
1st Quarter
4:08 – LS – O.J. Medina 1 run, Tavis Guerra kick
3:49 – ER – Johnny Garcia 85 pass from Joey Sanchez, kick failed
2:36 – LS – Medina 2 run, Guerra kick
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
10:30 – ER – Sanchez 3 run, Edwin Chavez kick
1:41 – LS – Medina 11 pass from Frankie Palmer, Guerra kick
4th Quarter
8:54 – Mackenzie Duarte 18 pass from Palmer, Guerra kick
3:07 – ER – Garcia 15 pass from Sanchez, Chavez kick
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