MORENO VALLEY – Rancho Alamitos had no answer for the Valley View run game on Friday night as it was defeated 50-13 in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 11 playoffs.
The Vaqueros allowed six rushing touchdowns.
“We knew coming in that Valley View was a much bigger team and played a real high level of football,” Rancho Alamitos coach Mike Enright said. “We fought hard, we just didn’t have the firepower for them.”
The win was the first home postseason victory for the Eagles since 2001, and advances them to the semifinals next Friday where they will meet Montebello.
Justin Keeling led the Eagles rushing efforts with 176 yards on 23 carries while scoring three touchdowns.
Valley View set the pace early, scoring on its first three drives of the contest to take a 20-point lead.
Dwight Brown scored the first of those three touchdowns with a run from 16 yards out, while Keeling followed suit three minutes later with a 10-yard scoring run.
Robert Heiermann completed the trio of scores at the end of the opening quarter catching a 26 yard touchdown pass from Jacob Barlage.
Valley View added to its lead in the second quarter with a one yard touchdown run from Rudy Lovato and a 32 yard field goal from Walter Herrera.
The Eagles secured the game with three scores in the second half.
Rancho Alamitos quarterback Blake Culbert was hit 17 of 40 pass attempts for 133 yards, and threw a touchdown pass to Cross Faletoi.
Faletoi led the Vaqueros’ receiving efforts with eight catches for 75 yards while Miguel Rosales carried the ball eight times for 43 yards.
“The touchdown pass at the end really showed the guts of the kids,”Enright said. “They played to the end.”
