Nighthawks Rout Murrieta Mesa 34-6

Andrew Blake threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns while the Nighthawk Defense again dominated, leading Murrieta Valley to their sixth consecutive victory and handing Mesa their fourth straight loss.  

Murrieta Valley is now 7-1 overall and 3-0 in league play after their defense overwhelmed the Rams Friday night, forcing three fumbles and a blocked extra-point attempt.

Murrieta Mesa’s prolific air attack was shut down as quarterback Chase Chambers completed 14 passes of 32 attempts for only 145 yards. Terin Solomon, Lafayette Waters and Damon Nolan kept Mesa receivers covered all night long.

The Ram running game was limited to 112 yards on 32 carries. Sam Allen, Charlie McKee and Kody Thornburg once again combined with Brandon Finne and Andrew Hudson to thoroughly contain Murrieta Mesa’s running attack.Noah Johnson and Michael Payne kept the pressure on the Rams, sacking the quarterback three times.  

Nighthawk receivers caught 20 passes, with touchdown receptions by Jaleel Shabazz, Brandon Iacobellis and Kale Novak. Jack Magpuaso had a 14-yard touchdown run and ended up with 65 yards rushing and 95 yards in the air.

Jacob Augustine ran for 68 yards and scored on a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Speedster Sean Young almost scored on an electrifying 71-yard kickoff return.

For the Rams, Khali Sharpe caught four passes for 75 yards. Danny Castro added two receptions for 22 yards. Running back Dominic Odegaard ran for 61 tough yards in 16 attempts. Murrieta Mesa offensive linemen Drew Santiago and Gabriel Viramontes both played exceptional games.

On a positive note, Ram defensive linemen Garrett Andrews and Ozzie Llamas held the Nighthawk rushing duo of Magpuaso and Augustine to 133 yards on 28 carries. Defensive back Craig Mauldin stopped a Nighthawk scoring drive early in the first quarter, intercepting an Andrew Blake pass in the end zone.

Murrieta Valley’s victory was tarnished by the ejections of two Nighthawk payers after a brawl on the Ram sideline. MHVS was penalized 30 yards for the incident and had a total of 17 penalties for 183 yards.

In other area football, Vista Murrieta came back from a tumultuous week after to shut Great Oak down, 45-24. Calvary Murrieta Warriors were dealt a hard conference loss by San Bernardino Aquinas High School, 48-0.

The Nighthawks travel to No. 2-ranked Vista Murrieta next Friday and Murrieta Mesa hosts Temecula Valley. Games start at 7 p.m. Come out and support your local high school football teams.

--Contributed by Charles Mckee

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