Golden Valley snaps 15-game losing streak

Golden Valley coach Dennis Stubbs described it as a crazy scene as the Cougars celebrated their first win of the season with a 30-20 win over Livermore on Friday night.

The victory snapped a streak of 15 consecutive losses dating back to 2013.

“It felt great,” Stubbs said. “We played pretty well. Our kids were very, very excited.”

Quarterback Armando Muzquiz came up big, connecting with Cadrian McDaniel for an 80-yard touchdown pass to give the Cougars a 10-0 lead with 5:16 left in the first half. The junior quarterback also threw a 46-yard scoring strike to Brandon Reyes with 15 seconds left in the third quarter to give Golden Valley a 16-13 lead.

After Livermore (2-1) scored on a four-yard fumble return, Muzquiz gave the Cougars (1-2) the lead for good on a one-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the game.

“It’s crazy; it hasn’t kicked in yet,” Muzquiz said about the win. “It was a tough game. We had a lot going against us. The refs made it tough on us to win, but our defense pushed through and our offense came up clutch when we needed it.”

The Cougars won without running back Isaiah Montanez, who dislocated his little finger last week against Beyer and could be out four more weeks.

Junior Rudy Aramburu filled in for Montanez and had a 90-yard touchdown run at the end of the fourth quarter that put the game away.

“Rudy was all over the field for us,” Stubbs said. “He filled in for Isaiah, so he was playing tailback and safety. He played well and had some big runs for us.”

The Cougars twice battled back from deficits in the second half to get the win.

“We really didn’t panic,” Stubbs said. “The kids knew we could do it. It was nice to come up with big plays. Those are the kind of plays you have to make if you’re going to win.”

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 1:15 AM with the headline "Golden Valley snaps 15-game losing streak."