Two fourth-quarter touchdowns sparked Murrieta Valley’s come-from-behind victory over Great Oak Friday night.
Trailing 21-14 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, MVHS got things going when Andrew Blake hit Jack Magpusao with a 33-yard pass. Jacob Augustine then took ball in on a 1-yard run to tie the score.
With time running out, the Nighthawk defense once again rose to the occasion. They proceeded to shut down the Wolfpack, giving the ball back to their offense. With just under five minutes left in the game, Murrieta Valley engineered a 69-yard game winning drive.
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A improvised play was sent in from the sidelines that isolated Magpusao on one to one coverage. The result: a clutch 20-yard first down pass.
Blake then hit Kale Novak for the go-ahead touchdown.
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The Nighthawk defense sealed the victory in the final minutes, holding Great Oak star senior running back Jakob Certeza for negative 4 yards on his last three carries.
Linebackers Andrew Hudson, Brandon Finne and Kody Thornberg rose to the occasion to shut down Great Oak in the fourth quarter.
They then forced a fumble on a lateral from quarterback Carson Luna to Certeza for a 8-yard loss. That play ended any hopes for a Wolfpack comeback.
The game started ugly for both teams. Murrieta’s defense forced two fumbles, recovered by Sam Allen and Marquis Rincon. Great Oak also had a Murrieta Valley fumble recovery. A Carson Luna pass was intercepted by Terin Soloman--all of this in the first quarter.
After the interception the Nighthawk’s Magpusao and Augustine drove the ball to the 2-yard line quarterback Andrew Blake capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Trailing 14-7 at half time, Sean Young exploded through the Wolfpack defense with an 83-yard kick return at the beginning of the third quarter. His return set up a Magpusauo touchdown pass reception tying the game.
The Wolfpack answered with a touchdown to take the lead into the fourth quarter.
Defensive standouts for the Nighthawks were Noah Johnson, Charlie Mckee and Michael Payne.
Murrieta Valley’s young offensive also line stepped up, creating holes for their running backs and providing protection the quarterback on passing plays down the stretch.
In other local games, Vista Murrieta trounced Temecula Valley 41-3, while Murrieta Mesa proved to be no match for Chaparral as the Rams fell to the Pumas 56-7. Calvary Murrieta came close but couldn't overtake Western Christian, for a final score of 13-7.
Next up, the Nighthawks take on Murrieta Mesa on the Rams' home field.
Happy Birthday and great game to Jack Magpusao!
--Submitted by Charles Mckee
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