By Big Tony Solorzano
(Pico Rivera)- A 25-yard Field Goal by Xavier Saavedra kept Bell Gardens undefeated with a 17-14 defeat of El Rancho Friday night at Dons Memorial Stadium.
A stellar performance by junior quarterback Josh Adame powered the Lancers (2-0) to the victory over the previously undefeated Dons (2-1) in a tight defensive match that proved too much for the Dons to overcome. Adame went 10 for 22 for 322 yards and two spectacular touchdown passes.
Adame connected first early in the first quarter when he found Gabriel Viesca for a 61-yard score putting the Lancers up early 7-0. His second touchdown came late in the third quarter when Chris Gutierrez caught a little slant route and split the Dons’ secondary for an 83 yard score with 3:44 left in the quarter.
Where Adame excelled in the air, The Dons’ ground game kept them in the contest. Junior running back Art Franco carried the ball 22 times for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Both of Franco’s touchdowns came in the third quarter and were both single play near-game breakers.
Franco’s first score came on the first play of the second half as he took a handoff from quarterback Josh Perea 74 yards for a game-tying score only 21 seconds into the quarter. Franco’s next touchdown came four minutes later. After a pass by Adame to Steve Ibarra was fumbled away and recovered by the Dons at their own 14 yard line, Franco bounced off the line of scrimmage and found daylight in the secondary running away with that would be El Rancho’s only lead of the game, a 14-7 score with 7:34 left in the third quarter.
Bell Gardens’ game-winning drive started with 1:12 left in the third quarter as Adame needed 4:35 to move the ball 36 yards in 12 plays to the 9-yard line, where Savedra kicked the game winning field goal from 26 yards out. The Lancers had a second opportunity to tack on a second field goal late in the game but this time Saavedra’s kick from 25 yards was blocked, giving the Dons one last chance to tie or win the game. However, despite Perea hitting Freddie Garcia and Leonard Baldwin for three completions, Perea’s last three pass attempts were dropped, giving the Lancers the ball with 21 second left in the game, securing the victory.
Perea finished the night with five completions out of 11 attempts for 46 yards, while Troy Campos, who ran a series in the first half, made only two passes out of seven for 33 yards. Aside from Franco’s 209-yard night, Anthony Ayala led the underutilized receiving corp, catching four passes for 42 yards.
For the Lancers, Chris Gutierrez caught only two passes but led all receivers with 138 yards, the 83 yard touchdown and a 55-yard pass that put the Lancers on the Dons’ 8-yard line. Viesca had four catches for 94 yards and his touchdown, and Scott Williams pulled in three for 56 yards. On the ground, Steve Ibarra led the rushers with 13 carries for only 41 yards.
The Lancers travel to Long Beach next Friday to take on Cabrillo, while the Dons will host the Lancers’ Almont League colleagues, the Montebello Oilers at Dons Memorial Stadium. Both games begin at 7:00 p.m.
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