BANNING — Junior quarterback Jacob Anzaldua threw for 365 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Banning High football team to a 41-37 non-league win against Rialto on Thursday night.
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Banning’s Johnson McClendon (18) runs for yardage during a game against Rialto at Banning High School on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Nick Koon, Contributing Photographer)
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Banning’s Johnson McClendon (18) runs for yardage during a game against Rialto at Banning High School on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Nick Koon, Contributing Photographer)
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Rialto (4-1) led 30-7 late in the first half before Anzaldua connected with Jadonnie Nichols on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left before intermission.
The Broncos took advantage of three Rialto turnovers to keep the pressure on after halftime.
A 27-yard touchdown pass from Anzaldua to Kamari Horsman brought Banning (4-1) to within 30-21. The Broncos recovered a fumble and Anzaldua made Rialto pay, tossing a 35-yard touchdown to Jmari Garlington to make it 30-27 with 8 minutes left in the third quarter.
“We just uplifted our receivers,” Anzaldua said. “They know they can catch the ball. We came out in the second half ready to play and we won the game. It feels good.”
Said Banning coach Jake Knesel, “We just couldn’t get it right in the first half. It was either Jake missing a throw or the receivers dropping the ball. But we all came together and remembered how to play football – something they’ve been doing their whole lives.”
After a fourth-down gamble by Rialto went awry, Banning scored again on a 1-yard run by Johnvon McClendon with 2:42 left in the third quarter. The score put Banning ahead for the first time, 33-30.
Rialto used a fake punt to take its last lead of the game, with Noah Valdez rambling for 42 yards to set up a 13-yard scoring run by Isaiah Wilson as the Knights went ahead 37-33 late in the third quarter.
But Anzaldua had one big heave left in his trusty right arm, hitting Garlington with a 74-yard strike with 10.6 seconds left in thethird quarter. McClendon’s conversion run closed out the scoring.
Banning, with 5 minutes left in the game, held Rialto on fourth down to get the ball back. A 7-yard pass for a first down fromAnzaldua to Garlington clinched the victory for Banning.
Rialto changed its offense from a spread to a power pitch, with running backs taking quick pitches and tearing straight up the middle against the overmatched Broncos. But Banning adjusted at halftime.
“We thought we could overpower them,” said Rialto coach Derwin Henderson, who led the Knights to four consecutive non-league wins after the program went 0-10 last season. “I thought we were more physical than them.”
Wilson rushed for 180 yards for Rialto and Valdez added 143 more yards on the ground.
Garlington had seven catches for 195 yards for Banning, Horsman had three catches for 59 yards, Nichols three for 51, and McClendson two for 49. McClendon also rushed for 50 yards.
“They have three really good receivers and the quarterback gets rid of the ball really fast,” Henderson said.
