By Alex A. Gonzalez
West Covina: The West Covina Bulldogs came into Friday night’s homecoming game against the visiting Claremont Wolfpack looking to repeat as San Antonio league champs.
Their balloons were burst by Claremont (7-2) (3-0) as they controlled the game behind a defensive touchdown and quarterback Nathan Giles’ two rushing touchdowns in their 24-0 win over the Bulldogs (5-5) (2-1).
“It feels amazing. We worked really hard this year,” said Giles after the game. “A lot of discipline and a lot of hard work over the summer. I’m just glad we got the win.”
The chilly night between the two teams, both undefeated in the league, started with back-to-back turnovers as the first quarter began.
After Giles completed his second pass of the night to tight end, Ryan Dunfee, West Covina, stripped the ball away, creating the turnover. But then, on the ensuing Bulldog play, Chris Perez’s pass was picked off by Zack Leeper, who then took it back to the house for the game’s first score of the night.
The Bulldogs responded with a lengthy 13-play drive following the pick, but Claremont’s defensive line stuffed Zach Requena, who failed to convert on the fourth and short.
The Wolfpack then only needed three plays to add to their lead on the ensuing drive when Giles optioned to keep the ball on from the shotgun formation, then beat the defense to the corner and turn it up the field for the 61-yard score with 44 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Claremont then added three more points to their score thanks to Giles, who kicked the 32-yard field goal, followed by a West Covina punt.
Before intermission, the Bulldogs could create a drive leading them down to the Wolfpack 4-yard line. After Requena’s 58-yard run that would put his team within scoring distance, the front four of the Wolfpack stuffed him on four consecutive plays, coming up with no points for West Co.
“Our defense worked really hard. They really wanted this win,” Commented Giles about the defense. “They did not want them to score. They just worked really hard.”
Giles put a bowtie on the night in the third quarter thanks to his defense, who would pick off Perez for the second time. On fourth and one, from the 1-yard line, Giles took the snap under center and plowed his way into the end zone for the second time of the night.
West Covina struggled to establish the ground game after Requena’s big run. They could only gain 29 yards as a team in the final 24 minutes of play. Head Coach Matt Maggiore then opted to play his second unit as the last minutes of the fourth came to an end.
With the win, Claremont ends the 2022 regular season on a five-game winning streak and as league champions of the San Antonio league. They will have to wait until Sunday morning to see who they will match up with in the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs. As for West Covina, it too, will have to wait until Sunday to see if they make the postseason.
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