Photos by Josh Thompson (Chino Valley Champion) & Gustavo Vargas
Football:
Don’t let the final score fool you, Ayala dominated Colony, 28-14, in Thursday’s season opener at AHS.
The Bulldogs led 21-0, 28-7 and they took a knee at the 1-yard line in the waning moments instead of punching it in.
Ayala got the ball with six minutes to play, and they never allowed Colony to see another offensive possession.
Jedi Hernandez got the Bulldogs on the board with a 3-yard TD run on the opening drive of the game.
Dawuan Nettingham caught a 14-yard TD pass in the first quarter from Alex Way to give AHS a 14-0 lead.
Nathan Pasos inflicted the Titans with a figurative kick in the stones, as he picked up a fumble at the 1-yard line and brought it back for a 99-yard TD and a 21-0 lead.
Colony’s Elijah Ybanez scored on a 14-yard TD run to pull CHS to within 21-7 with 1:38 to play in the half.
Ayala, though, would answer right back.
Alex Way hit Nolan Chan on a 1-yard TD pass with 12 seconds to play in the second quarter.
For all intents and purposes, the Bulldogs defense did the rest.
Jedi Hernandez led the ground game with 97 yards on 17 carries.
Alex Way completed 13 of 20 for 193 yards and two TD’s.
Nolan Reed caught five passes for 83 yards.
Dawaun Nettingham had three receptions for 37 yards and the score.
Hernandez finished with three catches for 43 yards and Brenton Smith reeled in a pair of passes for 31 yards.
Jayson Campos intercepted a pass and brough it back 24 yards.
I asked Ayala coach AJ Gracia to answer the following: What went well last night? Did anything surprise you, good, bad or otherwise? Who played quarterback and how did he perform? What’s one thing other than the win you’re most proud of, and what’s something that will be a focus to not do next week?
Said Coach Gracia: “We were very balanced on offense. We established the run early, got a couple explosive runs, and that set up the passing game. We spread the ball around to Nolan Reed, Dawuan Nettingham, B.J. Smith, Jedi Hernandez, and Nolan Chan. We didn’t give up a sack and Alex Way managed the game perfectly. Defensively, we played lights out. They had a lot of short fields that they had to defend, and we kept them out of the endzone with a short field. We got major turnovers in the redzone and even took a 99-yard fumble return to the endzone (Nathan Pasos). Our special teams need to be more consistent, but we had a lot of great execution and a lot to be excited about moving forward. Honestly, I thought we played up to my expectations of our players.
We could have played a cleaner game, but game one will always have penalties and mental errors that can be cleaned up. Alex Way (senior) played all game and had a very efficient night. I don’t know his stats, but he won the game and is 1-0. And that is all that matters. I was proud of the intensity and focus we played with. Our coaching staff did a great job all offseason and it showed with a 14-0 start. I loved the turnovers and pressures on their quarterback that our defense caused. Finally, we finished the fourth quarter. With over six minutes left in the game, we got the ball and never gave it up. We had a chance to punch it in on the 1-yard line, but we decided to let the clock run out. We executed in critical situations and that is something we emphasize, which makes me proud.”
Up next: The Bulldogs will host Desert Pines of Las Vegas next Saturday at 7.
To view a photo gallery by Josh Thompson, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
To view a photo gallery of Gus Vargas, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
Box Score:
C: 0-7-0-7-(14)
A: 14-14-0-0-(28)
Scoring:
A: Jedi Hernandez 3 run (Jaden Hernandez kick)
A: Dawuan Nettingham 14 pass from Alex Way (Jaden Hernandez kick)
A: Nathan Pasos 99 fumble return (Jaden Hernandez kick)
C: Elijah Ybanez 14 run (Kevin Barraza kick)
A: Nolan Chan 1 pass from Alex Way (Jaden Hernandez kick)
C: TD pass (Kevin Barraza kick)
Records: Colony (0-1); Ayala (1-0)
Girls Water Polo: West Covina is one victory away today from having a four-win week. The Bulldogs have defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Deneli Salazar continued her dominant week with eight goals. Meagan Harris chipped in with three goals. Marisa Lemus had quite the game […]
Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 2-0 after its 52-26 victory at Keppel. The Lancers pulled away in the second quarter after outscoring the Aztecs, 15-0. Aislin Tamez Torres had a game-high 18 points. Casey Higgins chipped in with 14 points. Kaden Cortes and Julianne Tan provided six points apiece in Thursday’s win. Alyssa Canizal […]
Photo by Underrated Media Girls Basketball: Los Osos and Flintridge Prep met up Thursday night at the Bonita Tip-Off challenge. The win would earn a spot in Saturday’s title game. And it was the Wolves that secured a championship game appearance with a 52-45 victory over the Grizzlies. Maddie Smith had a game-high 19 points […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina picked up their third victory of the 2024-25 season in four tries. After a 9-2 loss to San Dimas in the season opener, the Bulldogs have now defeated Monrovia (17-13), La Mirada (15-13) and Pasadena (10-5). Deneli Salazar led the charge with five goals and four steals, continuing her streak […]
Girls Basketball: It’s unusual for a game to be considered ‘over’ after eight minutes of play. However, politically correct or not, Glendora put Anaheim away with a 22-0 first quarter. The Tartans cruised to a 57-26 victory at the La Mirada Tournament. Reagan (“Ronnie”) Herrmann had a game-high 17 points. Kamryn Kuo led both teams […]
Photo by Angeline Sabillon-Cifuentes Boys Soccer: The Marshall Fundamental soccer program scored two first-half goals on Wednesday at La Canada. The Spartans scored a second-half goal, and both programs had to settle for a 2-2 tie. Giovanni Retana had an unassisted goal for the Eagles. Justin Lopez-Perez scored off an assist from Retana. Angel Capistran […]
Boys Basketball: Damien is off to a great start in the 2024-25 season. The Spartans have now defeated Troy (80-41), Ontario Christian (68-39) and Villa Park (70-42) at the Sunny Hills Tournament by a combined margin of 218-122. DHS had a 38-19 lead at the half. Nate Garcia had a game-high 21 points. Jayden Avina […]
Photo by Underrated Media Girls Basketball: Flintridge Prep jumped on Claremont early, and the Wolfpack weren’t able to mount much of a challenge. The Wolves had a 20-3 lead after the first eight minutes, and they cruised to a 69-35 victory in the second round of the Bonita Tournament. Maddie Smith and Megan Quoch led […]
Girls Water Polo: Los Osos opened their 2024-25 season with an impressive 9-4 victory at San Dimas. The Grizzlies took a 6-0 lead into the half, and they never trailed. Teresa Shirley led the way with three goals and one block. Alex Frank chipped in with two goals, one assist and six steals. Maddie White […]
