After losing the West Sierra League championship last Friday to Coalinga, 39-22, the Broncos must focus their attention on the Central Section playoffs. They have been placed in Div. 5 as a No. 3 seed and will host West High-Bakersfield in an opening-round game this Friday at Frankian Field.
The Broncos, who finished the campaign with a 5-5 record, spotted Coalinga a massive 30-0 lead before clawing their way back and making things interesting.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Horned Toads broke through after taking a Bronco punt to their 30-yard line. Two long runs put Coalinga on the DP 24-yard line when the Coalinga quarterback connected on a touchdown pass.
Coalinga again held on defense, and a long run up the middle put them at the Bronco six-yard line, where another touchdown pass put them up 14-0, and they ended the first half with a 27-yard field goal with just five seconds left on the clock.
Two more touchdown passes in the third quarter upped Coalinga’s lead to 30-0 before the Broncos could finally get on the scoreboard. With two minutes to go in the third quarter, Bronco quarterback Peyton Van Worth hit wide receiver Mike Cantu in stride for a 60-yard TD strike.
The game got interesting on the next Coalinga series. Bronco defensive back Elias Malfabon stepped in front of a Coalinga receiver, snagged the pass, and headed down the left sideline for a 60-yard interception return to put Dos Palos back in the game, 30-14.
Coalinga turned the ball over on downs, and the Broncos then embarked on a 70-yard drive. The touchdown came on a fine catch in the endzone by Cantu of a Van Worth pass. The 19-yard score and a two-point conversion closed the game to 30-22.
The Horned Toads were able to regroup and scored another field goal and touchdown to seal the championship win.
Coalinga showed a balanced attack, rushing for 176 yards and passing for 222 yards. Van Worth finished 10 of 24 passing for 130 yards.
Bronco head football coach Rob Calvert applauded his team’s effort to recover from the early deficit.
“We started slow, but definitely made it interesting in the end. We just came up a little short,” said Calvert. “But Mike Cantu had a good game, moving to wide receiver in the second half and making some great catches. And Elias’s interception really got us going.”
So now the team’s attention turns to West.
“West is a big school,” said Calvert. “They run the veer offense and a 4-3 defense, and they fly around to the ball. Now it’s playoff football, and we will be ready.”
Tickets for the Dos Palos game Fri., Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. against West Bakersfield High must be purchased online prior to the event. There will not be a cash boxes at Dos Palos High gates to purchase tickets. All tickets must be purchased before 6:30 p.m. by going to the Go Fan website. No tickets will be available after 7 p.m. that night.
No outside food or drinks will be allowed.
This is a CIF playoff game therefore all students and staff must purchase a ticket on Go Fan unless you have a CIF playoff or lifetime pass.
Go Fan link:
