Los Banos, Stone Ridge Christian both dominate to advance in Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs

Shawn Jansen
·2 min read

The Los Banos High School football team jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the half and cruised to a 30-7 victory over Center in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V quarterfinals on Friday night at Loftin Stadium.

The No. 4 seeded Tigers (10-1) struck first with a 14-yard scoring strike from quarterback David Herrera to Yahir Zuniga to take a 7-0 lead with 5 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter.

Hererra then added a short touchdown run on fourth-and-goal to extend the lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.

The Tigers defense chipped in with a 41-yard interception return by Evan Rebosa for a score that gave Los Banos a 21-0 lead with 9:01 left in the second quarter.

Herrera completed 9 of 15 passes for 179 yards and the one score. He added 15 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Zuniga hauled in six passes for 120 yards.

The Tigers will travel to No. 1 seed Twelve Bridges for a semifinal game next week. The Rhinos (11-0) defeated No. 8 Rosemont 67-25 on Friday night.

Orestimba 49, Le Grand 14 — Warriors star Juan Esquivez rushed for five touchdowns, including runs of 80 and 70 yards to help Orestimba defeat Le Grand for the second time this season.

Bulldogs running back Alexis Granados scored both of Le Grand’s touchdowns on a 35-yard run in the first quarter and a 9-yard touchdown catch from Diego Martinez in the second half.

Orestimba defeated Le Grand 49-36 on Sept. 15. The Bulldogs finish the season with a 9-3 record.

Orestimba will face another Southern League opponent next week for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VIIA championship when it faces Ripon Christian. The Knights defeated Rio Vista 42-0.

Stone Ridge Christian 70, Valley Christian 14 — The Knights exploded offensively with running back Daijon O’neil leading the way with three touchdowns.

Aiden Skeen added a touchdown catch and a scoring run for the Knights (9-1).

Freshman quarterback Marcus Gray threw three touchdowns for SRC and Kayden Downey recorded two interceptions on defense.

The Knights will face Woodland Christian for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VIIB title next week. Woodland Christian defeated Delta 49-8 on Thursday night.