Even though the Firebaugh Eagles appeared to be in complete control of their non-league game last Friday against Del Oro, Bakersfield, it took a late interception to stop the Suns’ comeback.
The result was a 21-14 victory for head coach Jorge Saldana’s team that took place in the south valley.
Like most teams in the Central Section, Firebaugh will have a bye this week to rest and recuperate before the start of the West Sierra League season. That will take place on October 3rd when they host defending league champion Coalinga.
Del Oro, Bakersfield’s newest high school, mounted a serious comeback after falling behind 21-0 to Firebaugh. With nine minutes left in the contest, Del Oro had already clawed their way back into the game with two scores to close the gap to 21-14. The Suns drove to midfield on short pass-and-runs to receivers Kaiden Artiaga and Joshua Long. But with 3:13 left in the game, a Del Oro pass was picked off by Bryan Vilchis, who made a fine, leaping grab to snatch the pass.
On the next play from the Firebaugh 20-yard line, quarterback Leo Perez darted up the middle on a draw and scampered for a 23-yard gain. Another run by senior running back Ryan Luna was good for 17 yards and another first down, which allowed the Eagles to run out the clock and take the win.
Perez had several key runs and finished the night with 82 yards rushing on only 11 carries. He led the Eagles on their second drive of the evening, which started on their 43-yard line. The Eagles used their ground game to drive down to the two-yard line, where Perez took the ball in for the score on a run-pass option.
In the second quarter, two runs by Ryan Luna and Vilchis were the key plays in a 76-yard drive that gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead.
The Eagles scored again late in the second quarter when Perez hit Dominic Barajas on a fade pattern in the right corner of the endzone that was good for 10 yards.
A fumbled snap that was recovered by Del Oro, as well as an interception by Sun defensive back Ivan Jaime in the third quarter, allowed Del Oro to mount a serious comeback. Besides his rushing, Perez also passed for 80 yards and the one score to Barajas.
