It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks can now relate to. They took a 31-21 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Diablos on Friday. Murrieta Valley's loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Murrieta Valley's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Asa Chatman, who rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Bear Bachmeier, who rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Mission Viejo's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Hinesward. Lilomaiava., who rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown. Luke Fahey was another key contributor, throwing for 97 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
Murrieta Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 9-4. As for Mission Viejo, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season.
Murrieta Valley does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Mission Viejo will look to defend their home field on November 25th against Servite at 7:00 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in the nation (Servite is ranked 93rd, while Mission Viejo is ranked 76th).
