Photo by Yen Benton
Football:
El Rancho was on the verge of securing a significant upset on Friday night.
According to Calpreps, the Dons had a four-percent chance of beating the Bulldogs.
And their projected final score was WCHS 28, ERHS 0.
Thankfully for West Covina, that didn’t happen.
The Bulldogs rallied to outscore El Rancho, 15-7, in the fourth period, and edged the Dons, 28-27.
Trailing 27-20 at Whittier College, WCHS drove the ball 60 yards, and after a big 20-yard run by Angel Murillo, Ezra Ortega would rumble into the end zone from three yards out.
With the scoreboard reading 27-26 and two minutes remaining, three-time CIF-SS champion Mike Maggiore had the stones to go for 2.
And Ethan Mendez made his coach look like a genius, as the Bulldogs took a 28-27 lead.
ERHS would get to the WCHS 22-yard line, and on fourth-and-four, Daniel Martinez made a stop defensively to secure the win.
For West Covina: Zander Requena had an 8-yard TD run, and Isaiah Ruiz had a 23-yard pick-six in the first quarter.
Mendez also had a 5-yard TD run to give West Covina a 20-13 lead.
Other WCHS Notes:
Daniel Carrillo: 2 sacks in first half
Felipe Hernandez had a great game at DT
Isaiah Ruiz played a solid second half.
For El Rancho: Ryan Dominguez completed 23-of-39 for 291 yards.
Dominguez tossed three TD passes and one pick.
Giovanni Montenegro caught six passes for 91 yards and a TD.
Andrew Guerrero had six receptions for 71 yards and a score.
Zeal Carter totaled four catches for 80 yards.
Phoenix Navarro carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards and he scored one TD.
Up next: The Bulldogs will host Baldwin Park on Thursday at 7.
The Braves (1-5) have lost four consecutive games, including Friday’s 54-27 setback at the hands of Diamond Bar.
Box Score:
WC: 13-0-0-15-(28)
ER: 0-13-7-7-(27)
Records: West Covina (5-1); El Rancho (2-4)
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