Just one week after the football teams of the West Sierra League all posted four victories in the opening week of the Central Section playoffs, their collective seasons came to a crushing end in round two.
Both Dos Palos and Firebaugh, along with league champion Coalinga, and also Mendota, all lost their second round matches.
Dos Palos, ranked No. 11 in Div. IV, travelled to Fresno to take on No. 3 seed McLane. The undefeated and North Yosemite League champion Highlanders are fielding their best team since the early 2000s, and they manhandled the smaller Broncos, 53-7.
McLane features a strong quarterback in Vernon Lacy, a 5’11”, 170 lb. sophomore who has a cadre of fleet receivers to throw to.
Lacy completed only 10 passes on 19 attempts, but four of those resulted in touchdowns. He finished with 270 yards in the air and also ran the ball three times for 72 yards.
And while the Highlanders were moving up and down the field all night in rainy conditions, Dos Palos could not get their offense on track. McLane’s defense continually pressured Bronco quarterback Quenton Herrera, who was forced to leave the game with an injury. He was replaced by sophomore Nate Galindo, who was called up from the junior varsity.
Jesus Bon provided the only highlight for the Broncos, returning a kickoff in the third quarter for a 90-yard touchdown.
Firebaugh, the No. 7 seed in Div. VI, dropped a 42-7 decision to No. 2 Orosi.
Like Dos Palos having to deal with Lacy, Firebaugh had to contend with Cardinal running back Jason De La Cruz. The senior torched the Eagles for 286 yards on 32 carries. His longest run was 60 yards and he scored four times.
Firebaugh mounted its only scoring drive in the second quarter as quarterback Leo Perez led his team downfield and he was able to score from six yards out.
Like Firebaugh, Mendota was placed in Div. VI as a No. 8 seed and lost to top seed Minarets, 31-21.
Coalinga, No. 8 in Div. IV, lost to No. 1 seed Templeton, 40-14.
