Otay Ranch 35, Rancho Bernardo 14
It was Pop Warner Night at Rancho Bernardo High School and the crowd was ready as ever to see the Broncos take on the Otay Ranch Mustangs. The Broncos were hoping to find their footing this Friday and come up with their first season win, but it was the Mustangs that added a victory to their record. The Otay offense were a strong force to be reckoned with, defeating the Broncos 35-14.
The Mustangs started off strong in the first quarter as senior quarterback, Alfredo Garcia, found senior wide receiver, Zeek Cruz, who ran in for a 15 yard touchdown.
An impressive quarterback scramble from Jonte “Puka” Stewart would bring the Mustangs down to the 7 yard line, where running back Sammy Paranada then bulled into the end zone to bring the score to 14-0.
The Otay defense held their ground against the Broncos, keeping them off the scoreboard until the end of the second quarter. A toss from Christian Luis went to junior wide receiver, Jonny Tanner, who then found a hole in the d-line and sprinted down the field 51 yards until finding the end zone.
The Mustangs answered the Bronco’s with a touchdown of their own. Another quarterback scramble, this time from Garcia and for 40 yards, would set up the Mustangs down the field. A 12 yard touchdown toss from “Puka” Stewart to senior Darian Williams brought the score 21-7.
Otay would go on to add their fourth score of the night with 7 seconds left on the clock until halftime after another 16 yard touchdown pass from “Puka” to Zeek Cruz, putting the score at 28-7 at the half.
This was not the end for Rancho Bernardo’s scoring game though, putting points on the scoreboard one last time in the fourth quarter. A 25 yard pass from Lewis would drop to running back Christian Long right before the end zone at the 1 yard line, where Lewis himself would then scramble in for touchdown on the following play.
On the following Mustang drive, a 15 yard sprint from Cruz into the end zone would finalize the game for Otay Ranch with a final score of 35-14.
To watch all of the highlights from this game, you can find the PPR Raw on Youtube.
Next week, Otay Ranch will have a home non-conference game against St. Augustine as Rancho Bernardo will travel to Ramona. The highlights for these games and more will be found on the one and only Prep Pigskin Report next Friday at 10:30pm.
PREVIEW:
This Friday, going into Week 3 of the Prep Pigskin Report, the Rancho Bernardo Broncos will host the Otay Ranch Mustangs in a battle of two teams with very different starts to their season. The Broncos will hope to rebound from their 0-2 start as the Titans look to add a second win to their 1-1 record so far.
Rancho Bernardo is still trying to rediscover themselves with their brand new team after losing their last Open Division semi-finalist graduating class. Although Rancho Bernardo may not be able to replicate their last 11-1, the Broncos shouldn’t be canceled out just yet. There is much to be said about a football program that saw a single loss in it’s previous season.
What they lack in quantity, the Bronco returners make up in quality. One of these returners is Quarterback Christian Lewis, who has thrown for 231 yards so far this season in a mere two games. Returners Malcolm Turner-Ross and Matt Araiza also hope to show their team to Bronco success, while team-leader in tackles, Jack Gaylord, is out on injury.
The Broncos, ranked #24 in the San Diego Section Rankings and #17 in Division 1, will hope to, not only redeem themselves from their week 1 and 2 losses to Eastlake and El Camino, but find their footing this week to defeat the Mustangs.
On the other side of the field, Eastlake finished last season with an overall 4-8 record, including a win in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs. This season, they will look for a repeat of their playoff semifinalist successes back in 2015.
Otay Ranch is ranked #21 in San Diego Sections Rankings and #6 in Division 2. The Mustangs gained confidence early in the season, winning a 33-0 shutout against Mt. Carmel in their season opener. This Friday they’ll hope to redeem last week’s close loss to Valley Center.
The Mustangs find strength in their offensive line and senior running back Sammy Paranada, who’s been responsible for a number of big plays so far in the season including three touchdowns. Quarterback Alfredo Garcia is also a large contributor in offensive success, throwing for 237 yards in the Mustang’s two games.
The game will kick-off at 7pm at the Bronco Stadium on Friday. Don’t forget to tune in to the Prep Pigskin Report at 10:30pm to catch all the highlights.
