It was billed as the “Crosstown Clash,” but it turned out to be a run-away win for the conference champion Los Banos Tigers. Los Banos (8-2 overall, 7-0 WAC) overpowered the home team Pacheco Panthers (6-4 overall, 5-2 WAC) Friday, Oct. 28, at Veterans stadium completing their undefeated WAC conference schedule.
The Tigers scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions en route to dominating an excellent Pacheco Panther team, which had no answer for Los Banos and their powerful run game.
Tiger quarterback David Herrera accounted for six Los Banos touchdowns. Herrera scored on four running plays, from 4 yards, 19 yards, 5 yards, and then 2 yards away. Herrera connected with Kayson Welch for a 35-yard scoring pass and added a touchdown strike to Ayden Barcellos, covering 6 yards.
The Tiger defense came up huge all game long, setting up the Los Banos offense with five turnovers. Cole Ramos recovered a Panther fumble at the Pacheco 45-yard line to set up the first Tiger score. Raymond Fernandez recovered a second Panther fumble turning the ball over to the Tiger offense at their 45-yard line, and Los Banos needed just six plays to score their second touchdown. The third Tiger score resulted when Jett Lindeman recovered a third Panther fumble at the Pacheco 30-yard line. Six plays later, Herrera scored, and Los Banos was up 21-0.
Panther quarterback Aiden Huerta connected with Daniel Scott on a 30-yard touchdown pass, and with the two-point conversion, the Panthers closed the score to 21-8.
That would be all the offense Pacheco would muster during senior night at Veterans Stadium and the Tigers scored on their next three possessions, again with the aid of Panther turnovers. Mark Carreiro recovered the fourth Pacheco fumble, and George Garcia intercepted a Panther pass to give Los Banos excellent field position.
Isaiah Medina scored the final touchdown for Los Banos on a 36-yard scamper giving the Tigers a 49-8 lead before the Panthers scored a last-minute touchdown to make the final score read 49-16 in favor of the Los Banos Tigers.
Herrera was the offensive star of the game, rushing 14 times for 148 yards and four touchdowns and adding 6 for 6 passing for 110 yards and two scores. Isaiah Medina rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on just four carries, and Mark Carreiro added 44 yards on ten totes. Kayson Welch caught two passes for 45 yards and a score, while Ayden Barcellos grabbed two passes, one for a touchdown.
The Tiger defense recorded the five takeaways. Ray Fernandez recorded a game-high nine tackles, followed by Mark Carreiro’s eight stops and Joel Alvarenga and Cole Ramos, each with six tackles for the Tigers.
