The Murrieta Valley Nighthawks had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 53-52 victory over Rancho Cucamonga. Winning may never get old, but Murrieta Valley sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Murrieta Valley was led to victory by Asa Chatman and Bear Bachmeier. Chatman gained 79 total yards and three touchdowns, while Bachmeier rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Murrieta Valley also got a significant boost from Dorian Hoze, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 104 yards.
Despite the loss, Rancho Cucamonga still got an impressive performance from Trey Wilson, who rushed for 336 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per carry. Wilson really tore up the turf during one magnificent 88-yard run. Jonah Dawson also helped out as he racked up 132 receiving yards.
Murrieta Valley's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-3. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 9-2 San Clemente and 7-4 Great Oak (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 60.6% over those games). As for Rancho Cucamonga, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-2.
Murrieta Valley will take on Mission Viejo at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in California (Mission Viejo is ranked 14th, while Murrieta Valley is ranked 22nd). Rancho Cucamonga does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
