MidValleySports.Com

By Tony Solorzano

The opening of the Del Rio League portion of the season was a blockbuster as California High ruined Homecoming for El Rancho with a 42-23 victory Friday. night at El Rancho’s Dons Memorial Stadium.

This was an important victory for the Condors (6-0, 1-0) as both they and the Dons (3-3, 0-1) needed a “statement win” to set the tone for a run at the Del Rio crown. Six different Condors scored as Coach Jim Arnold was pleased with the performance.

“We came out and wanted to key on their best weapons,” Arnold said after the game. “We played nearly flawlessly, no stupid penalties and the one time we dropped the ball, we got it back fast.”

The Dons jumped out to as early lead after capping a 14-play drive with a 28-yard field goal from Josh Portillo halfway through the first quarter. However, when the Condors got the ball on the next possession, they didn’t keep the ball long. In only three plays, the Condors went 78 yards for a score, a 16-yard run by Aaron Garcia, in only 1:13, their only possession of the first.

In the second, the Dons’ first play of the quarter actually closed out a frustrating second series. The Dons moved the ball a total of one net yard in 13 plays, as they lost ground on three costly penalties and a sack to quarterback Joey Sanchez. When the Dons got the ball back, they needed only 48 seconds to score, a 13-yard rush by Josh Perez.

The Dons had an opportunity to close the gap with another field goal from Portillo, however his 28-yard attempt was deflected and fell short, forcing a turnover to the Condors. This time the Condors needed only two minutes to score a third touchdown, a 51-yard rush by Manny Lopez with 5:56 left in the half.

The Dons finally found the end zone with 3:16 left in the half, as Sanchez connected with Andrew Chandler on a 21-yard strike to cut the lead to 21-10, however, the Condors struck again for a third touchdown in the quarter, this time Andrew Reyes tossed a perfect 41-yard strike to Castro, giving the Condors the 28-10 lead at halftime.

In the third, the Condors were finally forced to punt on their first possession of the half, and the Dons provided a little payback with a 45-second drive. Sanchez, after getting called for intentional grounding that put the ball at mid-field, connected with Garcia for a 50-yard score, cutting the lead to 28-17.

However, since the Dons went the quick route, the Condors ran the clock down as they marched 60 yards for another score, a 13-yard pass to Espinoza that capped a near five-minute drive.

Early in the fourth, the Condors missed as opportunity to extend their lead as Eric Amezquita’s 41-yard field goal attempt went short. The Dons capitalized on the miss, going 80 yards in 6 as Sanchez his Garcia again, this time for 56 yards with 6:16 left. However, a two-point conversion failed, cutting the lead to 35-23.

The Condors would close out the scoring after recovering an onside kick at their own 48. During the drive, Perez broke out for a 30-yard run, getting taken down at the Dons’ eight-yard line. Two plays later, Castro scored from three yards out with 2:22 left in the game.

The Dons nearly scored as time expired, as Sanchez drove the Dons to the Condors’ seven-yard line with literally seconds left. Although he nearly scored on a pass to Javier Carrillo, Sanchez called his own number and was stopped four yards short as time expired.

Despite the loss, Sanchez had a career night, firing for 387 yards on 21 passes and throwing all three touchdowns. Perez led the Condor ground game with 141 yards on 11 carries and a score.

Next week, Cal hosts Pioneer at Whittier District Field, while El Rancho heads to Pioneer’s Titan Stadium to meet Santa Fe.