With a playoff game on the line, the California School for the Deaf-Riverside Cubs rose to the challenge on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat California Lutheran 72-26 on the road. The result was nothing new for California School for the Deaf-Riverside, who have now won six matchups by 24 points or more so far this season.
California School for the Deaf-Riverside found their leader in underclassman Gio Visco, who rushed for 246 yards and five touchdowns on only 11 carries. Visco was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 56 yards. Matthew Silvay and his 94 yards on the ground were also a key factor in California School for the Deaf-Riverside's victory.
California School for the Deaf-Riverside's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Visco and his two sacks.
California Lutheran's lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Colton McGee, who rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Riccardo Paganelli was another key contributor, picking up 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The win was the seventh in a row for California School for the Deaf-Riverside, bringing their record for this year to 9-3. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-6 Blair and 1-5 Entrepreneur (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 44.2% over those games). As for California Lutheran, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-4.
California School for the Deaf-Riverside will take on Santa Clara at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Santa Clara is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games. California Lutheran does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
