CONCORD, CA Ð AUGUST 26: Quarterback Christian Aguilar #2 of Clayton Valley Charter scrambles for yardage against Salinas in a high school football game at Clayton Valley Charter High in Concord, Calif. on August 26, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Bay Area News Group)
CONCORD – Clayton Valley Charter had a monster night throwing the ball Friday but couldn’t slow down a resilient Del Oro-Loomis team in the fourth quarter.
Leading by nine, the Ugly Eagles allowed two touchdowns in the final 9:09 of regulation time, including one with 3:45 left in what became a 31-27 nonleague loss to the Golden Eagles.
On 1st and 15, Del Oro quarterback Caden Pinnick scrambled to his right to elude pressure and found receiver Tommy Poe open in the end zone for a 33-yard go-ahead score, capping an impressive 93-yard drive.
Clayton Valley got the ball back with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter but couldn’t advance past the Golden Eagles’ 35-yard-line as it suffered a second-straight one-score loss to start the season.
The Ugly Eagles (0-2), ranked sixth in the Bay Area to start the year, lost 21-14 to Salinas at home last Friday.
Del Oro touchdown, now leads CVC 31-27. This is a pretty throw pic.twitter.com/gRioyj1AJC
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) September 3, 2022
“It’s a team loss at the end of the day. It’s not just on the offense or the defense,” Clayton Valley junior receiver Davin Amos said. “So we’ve just got to get back in the lab, watch film (Saturday). We’re going to come back stronger and better.”
Amos was the No. 1 target for Ugly Eagles quarterback Christian Aguilar, who took the lion’s share of the snaps Friday after mainly splitting those duties with Mason Lovett last week.
Aguilar threw 40 times for 371 yards and three touchdowns against Del Oro. Amos caught two of those scores, including a 37-yard reception at the 9:27 mark of the third quarter as Clayton Valley took a 27-18 lead.
Amos, taking advantage of single coverage on the outside, finished with 13 catches for 236 yards. Hank Phifer caught a 6-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the first quarter to give Clayton Valley a 6-0 lead, and finished with 56 yards on five catches.
Clayton Valley also attempted 45 passes last week, numbers unheard of for a team that has largely favored the run in previous seasons.
“The key was matchups, and just making plays,” Amos said of his night. “I love the passing game. I mean, I’m a receiver. But I think it’s new to all of us. We’ve just got to get rolling.”
The Ugly Eagles had a chance to take a stranglehold of the game late in the third quarter as they drove the ball to Del Oro’s 6-yard line. But on fourth-and-two, Clayton Valley had a touchdown by Cody DeMartini nullified by a holding call, which pushed the ball back to Del Oro’s 24.
Clayton Valley couldn’t convert its long fourth down try and after taking over on downs, Del Oro (3-0) marched 76 yards on 13 plays, a drive capped by Thomas Graham II’s 9-yard touchdown catch with 9:09 left in the fourth quarter. Clayton Valley’s defense was also called for a personal foul on the possession.
To go with some pinpoint passing from Pinnick, Del Oro also used a bruising running game, one that took a toll on the Ugly Eagles’ defense.
Davin Amos with a 10-yard TD catch in the end zone. Clayton Valley charter up 20-12, 1:57 left, second quarter pic.twitter.com/v5GGpe2Fvw
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) September 3, 2022
Senior running back Kainoa Acia, who had a combined 244 yards on 24 carries in Del Oro’s first two games, rushed for two touchdowns in the first half but gained 52 yards on eight carries in the second half.
Del Oro started its go-ahead drive — with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter — on its own 7-yard line. Graham caught a 26-yard pass on first down to get the Golden Eagles some better field position before Acia had three carries for a combined 28 yards.
Pinnick’s scrambled for 11 yards and after a delay of game call on Del Oro, completed the touchdown pass to Poe. Pinnick was 14 of 16 for 202 yards and two touchdowns, both caught by Poe.
Clayton Valley now travels to Las Vegas for a game next Friday against Canyon Springs.
“We’ve just got to clean up the mistakes and stop taking penalties,” Amos said.
Originally published at Curtis Pashelka