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Tigers offense comes alive against Pioneers in Friday night shootout in Tiger Stadium
Lemoore, after a disappointing 56-28 loss a week ago at Golden West, a game marred by a suspected epidemic of food poisoning, improved to 3-1 in the WYL and will take a week off before hosting El Diamante on Oct. 27.
West Yosemite League Standings
The Miners take on Redwood High School on Friday before arriving in Lemoore the following week. El Diamante is currently alone at the top of the WYL standings, sporting a 3-0 record, following closely by Lemoore, and then Redwood in third place with a 2-1 record.
Lemoore, trailing 21-20 in the third quarter, saw the momentum shift to the Pioneers when quarterback Jaedyn Pineda found wide receiver Jonathan Hadley for a 66-yard touchdown and a 28-20 advantage.
Lemoore returned the favor with a pair of passes to standout receiver Jack Foote and a dominant ground game, led by Brandon Hargrove’s 37-yard run, put the Tigers in scoring position at the four-yard line. The honors went to Hargrove, who hurtled his way to the one-foot line before quarterback Kristian Gaytan snuck it into the end zone to close the gap to 28-27.
Hargrove had five carries Friday night for 107 yards and one touchdown. Damion Charleston led the Tigers with 16 carries and 167 yards while Amier Hollis finished with 124 yards on nine carries and one touchdown.
Overall the Tigers amassed 573 total yards.
Hargrove had more tricks up his sleeve. On the last play of the third quarter, he broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown as Lemoore took the lead for good at 35-28. Gaytan found Xavier Logan in the end zone for the two-point conversion.
It was shortly before Lemoore’s score that the Tigers’ stalwart defense, tired of chasing the Pioneer quarterback Pineda all over the field, finally got to him as linebackers Zyrenn Rodriguez and William Kloster had back-to-back sacks, ending a Pioneer scoring threat. Rodriguez had three sacks on the night to lead Lemoore defensively. Jacob Gonsalves chipped in with two.
Lemoore’s defense also came up with two decisive goal-line efforts. A 65-yard pass from Mt. Whitney’s Pineda to receiver Mason Parker put the Pioneers in scoring position at the Lemoore three-yard line. Five times the Pioneers tried to get past the Tigers’ front line but to no avail. Instead, on the fifth try, the snap went over Pineda’s head, and Lemoore took over.
Just moments later the Pioneers got the ball back when Kade Kiser intercepted a Lemoore pass. Again, Lemoore’s defense stood up. On a third and goal at the Tigers’ seven-yard line, Hargrove again stole the show, intercepting Pineda in the end zone, ending another threat.
The Tigers upped the ante to 42-28 thanks to an impressive 25-yard reception by Foote to give his team excellent field position at the Mt. Whitney 20-yard line. Moments later, Gaytan connected with Logan again for a touchdown.
Despite trailing at the half, Lemoore managed to stay close. Trailing 14-7 in the second quarter Foote hauled in a pass and raced 80 yards for the touchdown. However, Lemoore failed to convert and trailed 14-13 at that point.
Foote continues to have a stellar season. Friday night he caught five passes for 136 yards to go along with his long touchdown run.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter, and Lemoore trailed Mt. Whitney 21-20.
