By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Lutheran pulled off the upset win last week, beating undefeated and No. 1 ranked Mater Dei of Santa Ana 31-12. Meanwhile Banning beat San Pedro and Saugust beat Canyon, each for the first time since 2001. Those games, and more, highlight this week's Top 10 Games to Watch recap.
Kingsburg 28, Selma 14
Adrian Pacheco ran 38 times for 165 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 4 and 3 yards, but it wasn't enough for Selma, which fell to Kingsburg 28-14. The win for the Vikings gives them a tie for first place in the Central Sequoia League with Dinuba. Tyler Bray led Kingsburg to the win, throwing touchdown passes of 83 yards and 45 yards. Bray completed 7 of 15 passes for 168 yards.
Fowler 43, Caruthers 7
The Redcats completed a 10-0 regular season by defeating defending Division 5 champion Caruthers 43-7 in Southwest Sierra League action. Jose Mendez ran 23 times for 193 yards and scored on runs of 14 and 35 yards. He also caught a 49-yard touchdown pass and returned an interception 60 yards for a score. Fowler received the No. 1 seed for the Central Section playoffs.
Banning 28, San Pedro 21
The Pilots collected their first win over San Pedro in six years with a 28-21 overtime decision. Banning running back Josh Lismosnero came up big on both offense and defense in the extra period. He scored on a 10-yard run on the first play of overtime to give Banning the lead. He then tackled San Pedro's Ahmad Wood short of the end zone on fourth down to give Banning the win. Lismosnero ran for 118 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns for the Pilots. Banning quarterback Anthony Rodriguez completed 10 of 14 passes for 145 yards while Angel Ortiz led San Pedro in rushing with 122 yards on 17 carries with a score.
California 27, Amador Valley 12
California knocked off Amador Valley 27-12 to keep alive their hopes for an East Bay Athletic League championship. The Grizzlies are 5-1 and do not play a league game this week. The are a game back of San Ramon Valley, which meets Monta Vista in a crosstown rivalry matchup in Danville. Bo Stompro subbed for regular California quarterback Nick Spalliero and finished with 241 yards passing with two touchdowns. LeRoy Green added 93 yards and Nick Rosato gained 83 for California.
Roseville 32, Rocklin 7
The Tigers created a mess in the battle for second place in the Sierra Foothill League after beating Rocklin 32-7. Only two teams from the SFL advance to the Division 2 playoffs. Del Oro and Granite Bay are 1-2, but meet this week in the final league game of the season. Should Del Oro win, Granite Bay would have two league losses, potentially joining Rocklin and Roseville in a three-way tie for second. Andrew Lindner gained just 14 yards rushing, but scored twice on short runs for the Tigers. Michael Elliott led the rushing attack with 129 yards on 15 carries. Kevin O'Brien of Rocklin was 9 of 20 for 125 yards passing for the Thunder.
Saugus 18, Canyon 14
The Centurions came from behind to beat Canyon 18-14 in a Foothill League matchup. Saugus scored 12 points in the final quarter, including a touchdown by Desi Rodriguez and a score by Ryan Zirbel, who finished with 112 yards rushing on the night. The victory was the first for Saugus over Canyon since 2001, according to the Newhall Signal. The Centurions can also capture their first football league championship this week with a win over Hart.
Long Beach Poly 42, Compton 14
The Jackrabbits won their 72nd straight Moore League game with a 42-14 win over previously unbeaten Compton and also moved into position to claim the No. 1 seed for the Pac-5 Division playoffs. At 8-1 on the season, the Jackrabbits could move ahead of Mater Dei, which lost to Orange Lutheran. Poly plays Jordan this week to conclude its season. Jordan is the last team to defeat Poly in league play. Poly has not lost to a Moore League opponent since 1994. Morgan Fennell led the Jackrabbits by passing for 175 yards and two touchdowns while Ricky Johnson ran for 110 yards and two scores in the win. Donald Green led Compton with 109 yards rushing, including a 42-yard touchdown run.
Lutheran 31, Mater Dei 12
The Division 2 Bowl Game scenarios just got a whole lot more interesting now that Lutheran has knocked off No. 1 ranked Mater Dei, 31-12. The defending Division 2 champions got a pair of touchdown catches by All-American candidate Blake Ayles to hand the Monarchs their first loss of the season and knock them off their perch as the No. 1-ranked team in the country by MaxPreps.com. Matt Barkley finished with 264 yards while completing 22 of 37 passes and two touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions. Blake Hyepock threw for 198 yards for Lutheran.
Redlands East Valley 28, Miller 27
Redlands East Valley stopped Miller's AJ Springer on a two-point conversion with 37 seconds remaining to hold on for a 28-27 win and remain undefeated on the season at 9-0. The loss was the first of the year for Miller, which got two touchdown runs and two touchdown passes from Springer. The option quarterback ran for 108 yards and threw for 230 in the loss. REV got a big outing from Chris Polk, who scored three touchdowns on runs of 71, 11 and 3 yards and gained 259 yards on 25 carries.
Lincoln 49, Lowell 28
David Henderson and the Lincoln Mustangs handed the Lowell Cardinals their first loss of the season by running wild in a 49-28 victory. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Henderson scored on his first two carries of the game, 58 and 84-yard touchdown runs, and also had a 73-yard touchdown later in the game. He finished with 287 yards on just 17 carries. He also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass. Meanwhile Bismarck Navarro ran 19 times for 91 yards, but was unable to score after averaging over four touchdowns a game through Lowell's first six games of the season. Lowell's Vieje Piauwasy led Lowell with 198 yards on 23 carries and Spencer McDonald had two touchdown runs.