The De Anza Dons were the 26-20 winner over the Pinole Valley Spartans when they last played one another back in October of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. De Anza took a 30-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pinole Valley on Saturday. De Anza has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
De Anza's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performance. Perhaps the best among them was Desmond Sparks, who threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Davion Dunkley, who picked up 79 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Pinole Valley can attribute much of their success to Maddox Wu, who rushed for 205 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Shawntay Chaple, who rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
De Anza's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Pinole Valley, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-5.
De Anza will challenge El Cerrito at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. El Cerrito will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive. Pinole Valley will take on Bethel at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in California (Bethel is ranked 733rd, while Pinole Valley is ranked 724th).
