It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Rio Mesa had no problem doing just that on Friday. They had just enough and edged the Ventura Cougars out 21-18. The Spartans have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Cougars, too.
Rio Mesa had a senior duo take command as Isaiah Bautista rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns and JJ Bittner rushed for 65 yards.
Rio Mesa didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Dylan Medina, Nate Lewis, and Aidan Nunes picked up one apiece. Medina also set a new season high mark in total tackles with seven. Angel Moreno was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Although Ventura took the loss, they still got scores from Cristiano Alvarez and Tristan Savage.
Rio Mesa's win bumped their record up to 7-4. As for Ventura, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-4.
Rio Mesa wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next match, a 56-35 defeat against La Serna on the 15th. Ventura does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
