After completing their 2024 exhibition football schedule, the Los Banos High Tiger varsity football team (1-5 overall, 0-1 CCC) opened their CCC league schedule and dropped a seesaw battle, 33-28 to the El Capitan Gauchos from Merced.
The Tiger offense was able to cross the Gaucho goal line four times for touchdowns, but turnovers and a defense which had no answer for Lorenzo Peters (254 yards, 3 TD’s) came up one score short on this night.
Los Banos would score first in this game, when Joshua Gargano (2 carries, 47 yards, TD, 3 receptions, 39 yards) followed a great block by Derrick Ramirez on a jet sweep and scampered 47 yards for a Tiger touchdown, and with the conversion the Tigers held a 7-0 advantage.
The first of three Tiger pass interceptions led to the Gaucho’s first score. Peters slashed his way to his first touchdown from 52 yards out, and with the conversion El Cap knotted the score at 7-7.
Los Banos regained the lead (with the aid of a roughing the kicker penalty) marching 53 yards in 10 plays, scoring on the first of three Donovan Greer (17/44 passing, 228 yards, 3 TD’s, 3 INT’s) touchdown passes to Yahir Zuniga (9 receptions, 142 yards, 3 TD’s) and with the conversion the Tigers were up 14-7.
El Capitan came right back to tie the score at 14-14, when Peters cut through the Tiger defense en route to a 61-yard touchdown.
The Gauchos took the lead for the first time, when Diego Ultreras returned a “pick six” interception, 52 yards for a touchdown, and a 21-14 El Cap advantage.
On the next Gaucho possession, Elias Ruiz made it 27-14 in favor of El Cap when he scored on a 16-yard touchdown run.
A 10 play 80-yard drive resulted in the third touchdown for Los Banos, when Greer connected with Zuniga for their second scoring touchdown pass, this one from 28 yards away. The conversion closed the Gaucho lead to 27-21 early in the fourth period.
However, there was that man again, as Peters torched the Tiger defense for a 91-yard touchdown run and the Gauchos upped their lead to 33-21.
Jack Goodger recovered an El Cap fumble to set up the Tiger offense, and Los Banos marched 68 yards in 14 plays, scoring on a 10-yard pass from Greer to Zuniga. The conversion closed the gap to 33-28 with 4:43 left in the game.
Kolton Kanemoto recovered a Gaucho fumble late in game to give the Tigers one last chance at a victory, however their hopes ended with a third pass interception, and the locals came up short by the score of 33-28.
Despite their troubles with Peters, the Tiger defense had some fine performances, paced by Raul Diaz (9 tackles), Adrian Rivas (9 tackles, INT), Damian Calderon (8 tackles, sack), Yahir Zuniga (8 tackles), Jared van Loben Sels (7 tackles) and Kanemoto (5 stops, fumble recovery).
The Tigers travel to Merced this Friday night to battle the Merced Bears, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
