Sports
Football: College Park Stops Las Lomas
Las Lomas standout Marquis Waters was limited by an ankle injury in loss.
College Park 28, Las Lomas 7
The Star: College Park running back Daivon Ballard churned out 101 rushing yards after starter Vince Ferrente left them game with an ankle injury. Ballard also hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass in the first half
The Turning Point: With 1:30 to play in the second quarter, the College Park defense stopped Las Lomas on a fourth down attempt on the 20-yard line, preserving a 14-0 lead heading into the half.
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The Quote: "We're so inexperienced, we just couldn't execute." – Las Lomas head coach Doug Longero
What's Next? Las Lomas will host crosstown rival Northgate on Friday, Sept. 24 in the 'Battle of the Creek'.
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Bottom Line: The Las Lomas offense was limited once running back Marquis Waters left the game with an ankle injury and College Park controlled the clock with its option-ground attack.
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Although the College Park High football team is known for its commitment to ball control-'three-yards and a cloud of dust' style on offense, it was two big plays through the air in the first half that catapulted the Falcons to a non-league win over Las Lomas on Friday night.
Quarterback Taylor Valdez connected on touchdown passes of 22 and 48 yards in the first half, with both scores coming on third-down plays.
Holding a 7-0 lead with five minutes, 40 seconds to go in the second quarter, and facing a third-and-19, the senior connected on a 48-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Kevin Alston, giving College Park a 14-0 lead heading into the half.
Valdez finished 3-for-3 for 86 passing yards to go along with 53 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Las Lomas, meanwhile, could not find any momentum on offense, and was forced to make adjustments to its game plan when standout running back Marquis Waters was hobbled by an ankle injury in the first half.
Waters played sparingly on offense and defense in the second half, and was limited to 58 rushing yards on nine carries.
Through two games this season, the senior had already rushed for 346 yards on 40 carries.
"He came into the game banged up a little bit," Las Lomas coach Doug Longero said of Waters, adding "we have a lot of work to do – it was just one of those games."
It wasn't until College Park held a 21-0 lead in the late in the third quarter that quarterback Jackson Miller (12-for-27, 156 yards) and the Las Lomas offense came to life.
The sophomore threw for 139 yards in the second half on 11 completions, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior Danny Smith with 3:32 seconds to play in the game.
But the ensuing onside kick was recovered cleanly by College Park, and one minute later, running back Robbie Byers scored on a 36-yard run to give the Falcons a commanding 28-7 lead.
College Park was led on the ground by junior running back Daivon Ballard, who rushed for 101 yards, with most of them coming after standout Vince Ferrente (10 carries, 56 yards) was limited by an ankle injury.
"It worked out well that he showed what he can do," said College Park Bill Kepler coach of Ballard's performance off the bench. "We liked what we saw."
Las Lomas needs to regroup after two consecutive losses, and will be hosting rival Northgate on Friday. Although the Knights have won the 'Battle of the Creek' eight consecutive years, Northgate is riding high with a three-game winning streak to start the season.
Longero, however, is focusing on getting his young team healthy, and ready for the long haul.
"We've just got to get better," Longero said. "We're not worried about the rivalry."
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College Park 28, Las Lomas 7
College Park 7 7 7 7 — 28
Las Lomas 0 0 0 7 — 7
Scoring Summary
0:01, 1st: CP – Ballard 22 pass from Valdez (Ehrlick kick)
5:40, 2nd: CP – Alston 48 pass from Valdez (Ehrlick kick)
7:58, 3rd: CP – Valdez 53 run (Ehrlick kick)
3:22, 4th: LL – Smith 14 pass from Miller (Howard kick)
2:21, 4th: CP – Byers 36 run (Ehrlick kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing (car-yards): LL –Waters 9-58, Miller 1-(-6), Villa 9-32, Romez 1-3, Sabella 1-4. CP – Ballard 17-101, Ferrente 10-56, Valdez 10-53, Byers 4-47, Croft 2-9, Louis 1 (-4).
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): LL –Miller 12-27-156-1. CP – Valdez 3-3-86-0.
Receiving (Rec-yards): LL – Merhoff 1-17, Romez 1-11, Milner 2-22, Smith 5-73, Ow 2-35, Waters 1-0. CP - Ballard 1-22, Alston 2-64.
Team Offense (rushing-passing-total)
Las Lomas – 91-156-247
College Park – 263-86-348
Fumbles/lost: LL – 2/2. CP – 0/0 .
Records: Las Lomas (1-2), College Park (1-2)
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