Lumpkin lifts Central Valley to comeback win over El Capitan

When his team needed him the most, Jamarea Lumpkin delivered.

The senior running back scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help Central Valley rally to a 29-23 homecoming victory over El Capitan on Friday night.

The Hawks trailed 23-14 entering the final quarter, but Lumpkin scored on runs of one and three yards, and his team’s defense tightened to preserve the win.

Lumpkin finished with 204 yards on 26 carries as Central Valley improved to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Hawks moved into a second-place tie with Los Banos (3-1) behind Patterson (4-0).

Central Valley hosts Los Banos next week before its regular-season finale against crosstown rival Ceres (2-6, 1-3).

El Capitan had lost four of its last five games, but the Gauchos didn’t look the part.

Elijah Reid caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Chase Whitaker for the game’s first score. El Capitan held a 7-6 lead into the third quarter.

CV’s Moses Ghiorso (112 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards) scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to put the Hawks ahead 14-6.

However, El Capitan wrapped two touchdowns around a safety – the second touchdown of the quarter coming on a Whitaker-to-Reid 27-yard pass.

But Lumpkin scored early in the fourth quarter, and added the go-ahead touchdown with about seven minutes left.

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 12:05 AM with the headline "Lumpkin lifts Central Valley to comeback win over El Capitan."