Tigers continue quest for Division II title with 24-7 drubbing of El Diamante

Thanks to their No. 2 seed in the Division II rankings, the Tigers will face powerful Sanger in round two of the playoffs. Sanger will enter Tiger Stadium Friday night sporting an impressive 10-1 record - its only loss, a 21-19 Lemoore victory on Sept. 18 in Lemoore.

In that game Lemoore was without several key starters, including Tiger quarterback Logan Ahlin, who since the Sanger game has led the Tigers to seven straight wins. The Apaches will also be facing an impressive Lemoore defense that gave up just 26 points in six WYL contests while outscoring the opposition 258-26.

Central Section Playoff Brackets

Add Friday night’s point totals and Lemoore has outscored the opposition in its last seven games 279-33.

Friday night’s opening playoff game with the Miners was no different as Lemoore jumped to a 21-0 halftime lead and then held on for the 24-7 victory.

Sanger comes into Friday night’s game having to come from behind to beat Garces Memorial 13-10. The other semi-final Division II game will feature No. 1 ranked Ridgeview against Sunnyside High school. Ridgeview beat Bakersfield’s West High School 54-35 Friday night.

Should Lemoore beat Sanger for the second time, the Tigers with either host Sunnyside or be forced to travel to Ridgeview for the December 4 title Division II championship.

Despite a somewhat potent Miner running game, led by Keylan Liles, who rushed 29 times for 175 yards, the Tigers were able to contain the rest of the El Diamante offense.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Ahlin connected with standout receiver Allen Perryman for an 80-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Ahlin made it 14-0 when he led the Tigers to the El Diamante 18-yard line and then scrambled for the touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.

After recovering a Miner fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Ahlin found receiver A.J. Bow for a 22-yard TD pass and a 21-0 lead that the Tigers took into halftime.

Not much happened offensively for Lemoore in the second half other than a Josh Roa 35-yard field goal in the third period.

Finally, the Miners scored their first points in eight quarters of play against the Tigers (Lemoore beat El Diamante 35-0 in WYL play) when Liles scored with about six minutes left in the game.

Friday night’s game time is 7 p.m. in Tiger Stadium.

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