It took a while, but the Matilda Torres Toros flag football team finally picked up its first home win with a 33-18 victory over the Los Banos Tigers.
The Toros did not turn the ball over for the first time at home, thus scored five touchdowns in Tuesday’s victory.
The Toros gained 319 yards of total offense. Adalynn Chavez came in relief of starting quarterback Crystal Galicia, and threw for 170 yards and ran for two touchdowns.
Galicia also threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Galicia and Chavez combined for 227 yards passing.
Karina Contreras led the Toros with 74 yards from scrimmage.
Defensively, the Toros held the Tigers to 215 yards of offense, including 54yards rushing. Except for a 66-yard pass play, the Toros’ pass defense allowed less than 100 yards.
The Toros could have made any attempt of a comeback moot, but couldn’t convert on two chances late in the game.
After a Los Banos punt, the Toros went to work. Galicia scrambled for seven yards, and a first down inside Los Banos territory.
Galicia found Cadence Mortier down the middle of the field for 18 yards to the 16. Galicia hit Victoria Macugay for eight yards. Then, Galicia rolled to her right, and threw a jump pass to Contreras in the end zone for the touchdown, and a 6-0 lead with 4:11 left in the first.
Los Banos then drove 66 yards on 11 plays to tie the game. The Tigers converted a fourth-and-18 with a 25-yard pass to the Torres four. Torres was called for a roughing the passer penalty on third-and-goal. Three plays later, Los Banos tied the game with 10:28 left in the first half.
The Toros had to punt, and the Tigers took the lead. Los Banos got deep into Torres territory with a 38-yard gain to the nine. The Tigers completed a pass in the end zone for a 12-6 lead with five minutes left in the half.
The Toros marched down the field to score before the half. Chavez, on her first snap at quarterback, hit Isabella Perez for a 28-yard gain into Los Banos territory. Chavez found Mortier for 11 yards on fourth-and-10 to the 19. Three plays later, Chavez scrambled, and found running room to the left for a touchdown to tie the game at 12 at the half.
The Toros marched down the field to open the second half. Chavez hit Perez for 12 yards, and a first down. She found Geraldine Cantera-Dominguez for 14 yards, and another first down. Facing third-and-23, Chavez hit Amerie Lujan for 10 yards, and then found her again for 25 yards and a first-and-goal.
Two plays later, Chavez found the right corner on a scramble from a yard out for an 18-12 lead four minutes into the second half.
Contreras returned Los Banos’ punt 31 yards into Los Banos territory. Chavez hit Macugay for 16 yards, and a first down. She hit Milagros Barajas-Romo for 10 to the nine.
With a little trickery, Chavez pitched to Galicia, who threw it back to Chavez for a nine-yard touchdown. Macugay caught a juggling ball in the end zone for the conversion, and a 26-12 lead with 3:45 left in the third.
However, Los Banos got behind the Torres defense, and caught a long pass, and finished it off for a 66-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead by six just nine seconds later.
A Contreras run of 14 yards gave the Toros a first down. Then, Chavez hit Barajas-Romo for 14 yards to the 21-yard line. However, the Chavez threw incomplete on third- and fourth-and-one to turn the ball over.
The Toros forced three straight incomplete passes for a punt.
The Toros drove 55-yards on eight-plays to inside the Los Banos 10. On second-and-17, Chavez found Macugay for nine yards. Contreras got a third down carry for 10 yards, and a first down.
Chavez hit Contreras for a 21-yard gain to the four. The Toros got down to the one, but threw incomplete on fourth down.
Pressure from Jasmin Garcia and Angie Fernandez forced a third down incompletion, and a punt.
Then, the two teams combined for eight straight plays from the Los Banos 30 yard line. Both teams went four-and-out before Contreras carried for six yards to the Los Banos 24.
Galicia took the shotgun snap, and rolled to her left. She was looking to pitch to Chavez on the outside, but found running room against the grain. Galicia cut back to the right, eluded three flag pulls, and found the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. Galicia hit Mortier in the end zone for the conversion, and a 33-18 victory.
Orestimba 27, Matilda Torres 13
The Matilda Torres Toros flag football team is still trying to find its footing at home with another loss to a team from the Sac-Joaquin section.
The Orestimba Warrios picked off Torres quarterbacks five times, including returning two for touchdowns in a 27-13 victory over the Toros at Toro Stadium on September 10.
Amerie Lujan led the Torres offense with 94 yards on seven receptions, and a touchdown. Karina Contreras caught eight passes for 79 yards.
The Toros’ offense drove up and down the field gained 293 yards of total offense, including throwing for 253 yards.
Orestimba gained 203 yards with 76 yards rushing, but they didn’t have a turnover.