BUENA PARK – For the second week in a row, Sunny Hills’ hopes of ending a long Freeway League losing streak fell short by a point.
Cole McDonald’s 2-point conversion pass to Steven Riley with seven seconds left gave Sonora a 35-34 victory over the Lancers on Friday night at Buena Park High.
Sunny Hills (4-3, 0-2), now with a 27-game league losing streak that dates to 2009, had taken a 34-27 lead with 61 seconds left when quarterback Malcolm Dixon capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run.
Sonora’s Ben Kim fumbled while returning the ensuing kickoff, but the Raiders recovered to start their drive at the Lancers’ 34-yard line.
It appeared Sonora (6-1, 1-1) scored on a pass from McDonald to Angel Gomez, but an illegal block penalty negated the touchdown. On the next play, McDonald connected with Landon Williams for a 22-yard touchdown strike, followed by the successful conversion pass to Riley.
Trailing 12-7 at halftime, Sonora took a one-point lead on a 2-yard run by Jacob Fimbres, who finished with 188 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries.
Sunny Hills reclaimed the lead on a 62-yard pass from Dixon to Brandon Castelo. Sonora failed to convert a fourth-down on its next possession, giving Sunny Hills the ball at the Raiders’ 38-yard line.
Dixon, who passed for 111 yards and ran for 108, scored on a 1-yard run with 33 seconds left in the third quarter for a 26-13 Sunny Hills lead.
Three-yard TD runs by McDonald and Fimbres put the Raiders back on top, 27-26, midway through the fourth quarter.
