The Los Banos Tiger varsity football team responded from a tough defeat in week one to play a spirited see-saw battle with the Hilmar Yellowjackets last Friday night in Hilmar.
Each team found the endzone three times, and the lead changed hands five times in the back and forth battle. The final score came down to a try for a 2-point conversion and a potential one point lead for Los Banos.
Hilmar scored first when Merrick Ellard connected with Juan Ponce for a Yellowjacket touchdown. Jordan Jacobo added the conversion kick and Hilmar held a 7-0 advantage.
On the ensuing possession, the Tigers would tie the score, when on the first play from scrimmage, Tiger quarterback Joshua Gargano (20 carries, 136 yards, 3 TD’s, 8 of 11 passing, 88 yards) followed great blocks by Derrick Ramirez and Owen Baffuno and rambled 70 yards down the sideline to the first score for Los Banos. Gargano then kicked the conversion to knot the score at 7-7.
A crushing tackle by Brayden Milojevich forced a Yellowjacket fumble and Jack Goodger recovered the loose pigskin at the Hilmar 26 yard line, setting up the second touchdown for Los Banos.
Gargano completed passes to Yahir Zuniga and Jared VanLobenSels and Aaron Briseno carried the ball on two consecutive runs to set up a first and goal at the Yellowjacket one yard line.
Gargano followed his center, Dylan Brandi, up the middle for the one yard score. Gargano added the conversion and the Tigers had their first lead at 14-7.
An Ellard four-yard Yellowjacket touchdown and the ensuing conversion tied the score at 14-14 midway through the third period.
Early in the fourth quarter Hilmar regained the lead at 21-14 when Ellard connected with Jason Steel on a five-yard touchdown pass.
Now it was up to the Tiger offense to answer the Hilmar score with a touchdown of their own.
With seven minutes remaining in the game, Los Banos began their drive at their own 37 yard line. Two Gargano runs netted 27 yards and his pass to Zuniga gained another 11 yards to the Yellowjacket 36 yard line.
The big play on the drive was a Gargano to Kolton Kanemoto 24 yard pass play down to the Hilmar five yard line. Daniel Deffee and William Yruegas opened a huge hole in the Yellowjacket line and Gargano scored his third touchdown of the night to close the Hilmar lead to 21-20.
Now it was decision time for coach Dustin Caropreso, either go for the game tying conversion kick, or go for the lead with a 2-point try. Without hesitation Caropreso left his offense on the field to go for the lead.
Unfortunately the Yellowjacket defense was able to get the big stop at the goal line and retain their lead, and from there they were able to control the clock and claim the narrow 21-20 victory.
The Tigers played a fine game on defense paced by Milojevich (7 tackles, fumble), Adrian Diaz (7 tackles), Raul Diaz (7 tackles), Adrian Rivas (6 tackles) and VanLobenSels (6 tackles).
In the JV game it was just too much Adam Branco (4 TDs), who scored on runs of 33, 17, 3 and 49 yards to lead Hilmar to a 28-8 victory over the young Tigers.
The lone touchdown for Los Banos came on a 52 yard pass from quarterback Moises Perez (7 of 10 passing, 131 yards, 1 TD.)
Defensively Adan Zarate (9 tackles) paced the Tigers with Isis Villagrana (6 tackles), Zayden Affonso-Stiers (6 tackles), Justin Sherwood (6 tackles), Zaiden Nerrell (5 tackles) and Michael Coelho added five stops for Los Banos.
The Tigers will travel across town to battle the Pacheco Panthers Fri., Sept. 7. JV begins at 5 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m.
