By Alex Gonzalez
West Covina: The West Covina ground game compiled 316 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns between running backs Drew Hall, Zach Requena, and Jason Chang Friday night, cruising to a 21-7 victory over South Hills, reclaiming the King of Cameron trophy at West Covina high school.
“It feels great, it feels amazing. We earned it, and we’ve been working for this the whole time,” Said Hall after the game. “All three years we lost to these guys, and we haven’t had the best time, but today we worked hard, and we earned it.”
Going into their matchup against the Huskies, West Co was looking to get their first win of the shortened 2021 season against their cross-town rival and set the tone on their first possession of the contest.
Starting the drive at the 11-yard line, the Bulldogs favored the running game calling all eight of their plays on the ground. Jon Chavez carried the load on the possession by racking up 52 yards on the series, which ended with Requena taking the handoff from a yard out and scoring the games first with five minutes left in the opening frame.
Following the touchdown, the Huskies tried responding on their ensuing possession. However, it didn’t last long once the unit had to punt after their first three plays resulted in negative yards.
The trend continued throughout the first half for South Hills as their remaining drives ended in punts except one completed by Hall, who picked off Daylon Ware in the second quarter.
The scoring drought ended for the Huskies, thanks to Noah Cabrera, who intercepted Wyatt Oak’s pass and took it back for the touchdown, tying the ball game at 7-7 with 10:07 left in the third quarter.
The tie didn’t last long as the Bulldogs ground and pound game took the lead back on their ensuing possession. Capping a five-play drive, Chang bulldozed and squeaked his way to the end zone from 14 yards out. With a missed PAT, West Co took a 13-7 advantage.
After the score, both teams exchanged punches, with neither team letting up. It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter when Hall put the game away with his 31-yard touchdown run with 3:35 left in regulation. With a successful 2-point conversion, the Bulldogs ultimately ended South Hills’ attempt to make a comeback.
With the win, West Covina moves to 1-2 overall and will look to even their record next Thursday when they travel to play the Wolfpack of Claremont. For the Huskies, their season will end on April 16, when they host Charter Oak.
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