The 43-28 score does not tell the complete story of the Los Banos Tigers’ victory over the Johansen Vikings Oct.7, at Loftin Stadium.
The Tigers, 5-2 overall, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference, had a commanding 36-14 lead at halftime and added one third-quarter touchdown before Johansen scored two meaningless touchdowns late in the fourth period.
As was the case in last week’s victory over Mt. House, the Tigers used the combined efforts of quarterback David Herrera (10 for 10 passing, 145 yards, 4 TDs) and running back Mark Carreiro (17 carries, 138 yards, 2 TDs) to completely dominate the game.
Carreiro carried the ball six out of the first seven offensive plays on the Tiger’s opening drive, the last resulting in an 11-yard touchdown. Herrera connected with Daylen Mankel for the two-point conversion, and an 8-0 Los Banos lead.
Kayson Welch gave the Tigers excellent field position when he intercepted a Viking pass and returned it to the Johansen 18-yard line. It took the Tigers just one play to cover the 18 yards, as Herrera connected with Yahir Zuniga for the touchdown. The conversion was missed, and the Tigers opened a 14-0 lead.
Mike Edmund returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for a Viking touchdown, and Aeric Ameri ran in the two-point conversion; Johansen cut the Tiger lead to 14-8.
The Tigers came roaring back on their third possession, with Herrera rushing the ball four times and completing three passes, with the final completion to Yahir Zuniga for his second touchdown. Amani Molina kicked the PAT giving Los Banos a 21-8 advantage.
The Tigers made it four touchdowns in a row on their fourth drive when Carreiro followed a Salvador Garcia block into the end zone from five yards out. Molina kicked the PAT, and Los Banos held a 28-8 advantage.
Johansen used another long kickoff return by Edmond to set up their second touchdown. Edmund finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Ameri added the PAT kick, making the score 28-14 in favor of the Tigers.
Los Banos made it five consecutive touchdowns on their fifth possession when Herrera connected with Welch on an 18-yard touchdown strike and then hit Welch with the two-point conversion giving the Tigers a commanding 36-14 lead going into halftime.
Midway into the third period, Edmund scored his third touchdown and ran in the two-point conversion to close the gap to 36-22.
On their sixth possession, the Tigers added their final touchdown when Herrera threw his fourth scoring pass, an 11-yard gain to Aiden Barcellos, and when Milano added the PAT kick, Los Banos held a commanding 43-22 lead.
Coach Dustin Caropreso rested some of his starting players, allowing some reserves to play the entire fourth quarter. Johansen scored a meaningless touchdown late in the game, making the final score 43-28 and a Tiger victory.
The Tiger defense had some stellar performances as well as the offense, with Jett Lindeman recording a game-high 12 tackles and Cole Ramos and Lorenzo Chavez adding 11 stops each.
Quarterback David Herrera said after the game, “My O-line played a great game, we were able to score every time we had the ball, and the defense came up big to get us the ball.”
Junior varsity posts first win
In the Junior Varsity game, the Tigers came away with their first win of the 2022 season, defeating the Vikings 18-6.
An outstanding performance by the Briseno brothers paced the Tiger victory. Quarterback Ethan Briseno rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 35 more yards. Running back Aaron Briseno added 45 yards and a score.
The young Tigers played great defense all game long, led by Damien Calderon’s eight tackles, along with six each from Luke Reyna and Owen Baffunno; Abel Carrillo added five stops, a sack, and a fumble recovery for Los Banos.
late in the game.
