Dos Palos can’t slow Mendota air attack in semifinal football loss

The Dos Palos High School defense hadn’t yielded 29 points in a game since September, much less in a quarter.

But when the game mattered most, the unit the Broncos rode into the Central Section Division V semifinals couldn’t get off the field.

Mendota scored touchdowns on all five of its possessions in the second half Friday night to pull away for a 49-34 victory. The seventh-seeded Aztecs will take on No. 1 Immanuel for the Valley Championship in Reedley on Friday.

“They killed us with the pass,” Broncos coach Rob Calvert said. “We switched to a Cover 2 at the half to help protect against balls over the top, but somehow they kept getting in behind us. We went with the Cover 2, we brought pressure. It didn’t seem to make a difference.

“If you had told me going in we’d score 34 points, I’d have thought for sure it’d be a Dos Palos victory. They took advantage of our mistakes and made plays when they had to.”

Quarterback Junior Cardenas led the second-half charge for the Aztecs (9-4). The junior was a solid 6 for 13 passing for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. But he upped his game after the break, going 9 for 13 for 251 yards and three TDs and doing most of his damage on third down.

Mendota converted 8 of 9 third-down opportunities in the second half, and kept the drive alive on fourth down on its one failed third-down attempt.

Nevertheless, Dos Palos (7-5) led 27-26 with 9:39 to play.

The Aztecs used a Cardenas touchdown pass and a Marquez Navarro five-yard touchdown run to take a 26-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos quickly answered, thanks to a long kick return. Adrian Marrufo capped the last game of his high school career (27 carries, 182 yards and two touchdowns) with a five-yard touchdown run to give Dos Palos a 27-26 lead.

Mendota answered with a 12-play, 63-yard drive. Navarro punched in a one-yard score, and a two-point conversion put Mendota ahead 34-27 with 4:04 to play.

It was more than enough time for Dos Palos to answer, but the Mendota defense got the stop it needed. On fourth and three from the Mendota 46, Alfredo Ramirez came clean from the outside and popped Marrufo two yards short of the sticks as Dos Palos turned over the ball on downs with 2:24 left.

“We couldn’t get the defense off of the field, and we couldn’t keep the offense rolling to keep up with them,” Marrufo said. “We didn’t execute the way we should have, and every time we made a mistake, they took advantage.”

The Broncos still had all three timeouts, so Mendota couldn’t run out the clock. Instead, Aztecs coach Robert Mejia went for the kill. On second and 13, Cardenas hit an open Fabian Jasso (four catches, 125 yards, two touchdowns) with a 37-yard scoring pass that looked as if it would lock up Mendota’s spot in the title game.

Dos Palos didn’t go quietly, however. Ozvaldo Suarez fielded the ensuing pooch kick and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown, trimming the lead to 42-34 with 1:24 to play.

Mendota recovered the onside kick, but Dos Palos still had two timeouts. After two unsuccessful running plays, Mejia ignored conventional wisdom and let his quarterback air it out on third and long. The gamble paid off as Cardenas connected with Luis Mojarro (five catches, 138 yards) for a 44-yard touchdown that finally sealed the victory.

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 12:06 AM with the headline "Dos Palos can’t slow Mendota air attack in semifinal football loss."