By Head Coach Ernest Martinez
The Wildcats were tied 6-6 late in the second half against Banning High School, but eventually fell to the Broncos on the road, 23-12.
The Wildcats lost seven starters due to injury during the final two quarters of the contest, which had a major impact on the game. The ’Cats fell behind 17-6 early in the fourth but rallied to close the score to 17-12 on a 43-yard scoring pass play from junior Carson Estrada to senior Chris Rantzow with five minutes left in the game.
The Broncos managed a nine-play, 80-yard drive in the final minutes to make the final score 23-12.
Offensive standouts were Carson Estrada, Chris Pacheco, Jacob Hueso, and Mac Miller. Miller scored the first touchdown of the game on a short pass play from Estrada, and had 60 yards rushing on nine carries in the first half.
Estrada completed 19 of 33 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Pacheco caught five passes for 76 yards, and had 21 yards on four carries.
Rantzow had two receptions including a 43-yard touchdown catch.
Defensively, the Wildcats played solid, allowing only one score until late in the third quarter with the game tied 6-6. However, the loss of five defensive starters slowly wore down the Wildcats.
The home team rushed for over 95 yards in the final quarter and scored 17 points in the final 14 minutes of the game. Defensive standouts were Jeremiah Kirk who led the team in tackles with 10 tackles, including a quarterback sack.
Matai Patu had seven tackles and an interception. Jacob Hueso had an interception in the end zone to stop a scoring drive in the first quarter. Richard Sandoval and Martin Rodriguez combined on seven tackles and a quarterback sack.
The Wildcats will host their first home game in three weeks next Friday, as defending league champion Coachella Valley travels to Twentynine Palms. Coachella Valley lost in the final seconds to Yucca Valley Friday, making this a critical game in the Desert Valley league standings. The frosh-soph game will begin at 4 p.m. followed by the varsity game at 7.
