MidValleySports.Com

By Josh Ouellette

(Covina)- The Colts advance to the quarterfinals of the CIF Playoffs passing by South El Monte, 36-14, Friday night at Covina District Field.

Covina started the game off with a bang when Gevontray Ainsworth took the ball and found the hole to the right and beat the Eagles defense down the right hash for a 70-yard touchdown run, catapulting the Colts to a 7-0 lead with only 20 seconds ticked off the clock.

Ainsworth would only carry the ball two more times in the game before he twisted his ankle and was forced to sit out the rest of the game.

“We’ll evaluate him tomorrow,” said Covina HC Darryl Thomas later.

After both teams fought for field position for the remainder of the rest of the first quarter. Covina suddenly found themselves with a short field and drove the ball to the three yardline. On the next play Billy Livingston found Justin Mason in the corner of the endzone on the fade pass to double the Colts lead.

Covina had SEM pinned down and forced the Eagles to punt from their own end zone. Nicholas Hynes burst through the Southmen’s protection and blocked the punt, only for it to be flubbed by the Covina player and recovered by the Eagles.

On the ensuing play SEM quarterback Fernando Ramirez lofted a ball up for Sal Bustos who snagged it over a Covina defender and dashed down the sideline for the 81-yard trip to paydirt, cutting the Eagles lead in half.

The Colts found some luck on their following drive when on 3rd and 14 Livingstons pass was tipped and the ball wobbled directly into the path of Mason who beat the last Eagle defender and ran the ball in for the 74-yard score. The score going into the break was Covina leading 21-7.

The Eagles took flight coming out of the starting gate in the second half when Bustos returned the returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for the touchdown, again cutting at the Colts lead. South El Monte now only trailed by seven.

Covina wouldn’t let the Eagles momentum live for long. Vinny Venegas, replacing Ainsworth at running back, took the ball from Livingston and carried it past the defense for the 55-yard touchdown expanding the lead back to two possessions with the Colts leading 27-14.

A Livingston to Nicholas Simons 26-yard touchdown pass over the top of the SEM defense and a Darren Torres 26-yard field goal for Covina would complete the scoring for the game.

The Colts defense stymied the Eagles forcing four interceptions, and even a fifth one by Hynes that was called back on a mistaken 12-men on the field call.

Next week Covina will travel to Alhambra, who took care of business against favored La Puente 20-14.