Los Banos JV quarterback and defensive back Ethan Briseno led the Tigers to a 16-6 victory over the host Pacheco Panthers. Briseno rushed for 70 yards, completed 5 of 9 passes for 44 more yards and a touchdown; then intercepted a Panther pass and returned the “pick six” 61 yards for a touchdown.
The defenses on both squads played good games, as the game remained scoreless until just before halftime. Pablo Luna gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead when he booted a 40-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the second quarter.
Pacheco took their only lead in the game late in the third quarter when Panther quarterback Aiden Pikas swept around his left end and scored a four-yard touchdown, giving Pacheco a 6-3 lead.
Los Banos answered the Pacheco score with a touchdown of their own when Briseno connected with Joshua Gargano on a seven-yard touchdown pass. Luna added the PAT kick, and the Tigers were back in front 10-6.
Briseno completed the scoring with his interception return for a touchdown, making the final score 16-6 in favor of the Tigers.
The two teams each had stellar performances on defense. Shane Soares recorded game-high tackles, with eight and a quarterback sack, for the Tigers. Angel Valero added six stops, and Nathan Kanemoto and Ethan Briseno each had five tackles for Los Banos.
Adam Loretto had seven tackles to lead the Panthers, J.P. Mendoza and Zealand Hatcher each had six stops, and Lawrence Vuitao, Rueben Medina, and Julian Banuelos had five.
