Photos by Gus Vargas
Football:
Foothill used a 24-7 surge in the second half to defeat Ayala, 31-14, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs.
The Bulldogs’ Arthur Gracia, his staff and players would never make excuses, but it would be malpractice for me not to point out that Ayala was banged up big time, including the absence of their quarterback, a few running backs and the list goes on.
The Mountain West League champs put up a valiant fight thanks to a combined 204 yards rushing on 36 carries, and the Bulldogs D held Foothill to just seven first-half points.
Chandler Carthan led the way with 110 yards on 16 carries and a TD.
Drew Merrill gained 62 yards on six carries.
Clemens Steiner, who filled in for sophomore quarterback Bryan Wilson, completed 12 of 22 for 111 yards and a TD.
Merrill also caught three passes for 20 yards.
Lytallion Payne had a pair of catches for a team-high 50 receiving yards.
Carthan finished his high school career with a 13-yard rushing TD on Thursday, and two catches for 24 yards, including a 22-yard TD reception.
Eddie Huerta was back in the lineup with 27 yards rushing on seven carries and he caught a pair of passes from Steiner.
Foothill rushed for just 35 yards, but totaled three TD’s on the ground.
Brody Jones completed 10 of his 16 pass attempts for 255 yards and a score for the Knights.
Brady Schrank and Austin Overn combined to catch 10 passes for 255 yards and a TD.
On a personal note, covering this program has been fun and impressive.
In 2021 (Spring & Fall seasons), the Bulldogs went 14-1 and outscored their opponents by a margin of 508-190.
Box Score:
Ayala: 0-7-0-7-(14)
Foothill: 0-7-14-10-(31)
Ayala’s 2021 Fall Season:
8/20: Ayala 21, Chino Hills 20
8/27: Ayala 35, Los Altos 0
9/2: Ayala 42, Diamond Ranch 7
9/10: Ayala 40, Los Osos 21
9/16: Ayala 42, Tustin 7
9/23: Ayala 31, La Habra 21
10/1: Glendora 21, Ayala 7
10/15: Ayala 24, Alta Loma 6
10/22: Ayala 35, Bonita 14
10/29: Ayala 40, Charter Oak
11/4: Foothill 31, Ayala 14
Ayala’s 2021 Spring Season:
3/18: Ayala 38, Temescal Canyon 14
3/25: Ayala 27, Bonita 0
4/2: Ayala 35, Charter Oak 14
4/9: Ayala 35, Glendora 0
4/16: Ayala 42, Chino Hills 0
Mountain West League Fall Standings:
Ayala (10-2, 3-0)
Bonita (9-2, 2-1)
Alta Loma (7-3, 1-2)
Charter Oak (5-5, 0-3)
Mountain West League Spring Standings:
Ayala (5-0, 2-0)
Bonita (2-2, 2-1)
Alta Loma (2-2, 0-1)
Charter Oak (1-2, 0-2)
To view the photo gallery of Gus Vargas, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
A huge thanks to Randy Reams for game info and stats for this contest and every game this spring and fall season.
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