FONTANA —Dark clouds loomed and raindrops fell from the sky as Jurupa Hills earned its second win over the season, topping Colton, 29-22, on Friday night at Jurupa Hills High School.
Jurupa Hills running backs starred in the game. Israel Luna rushed for 98 yards, had 40 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns. Gilberto Centeno had 109 rushing yards and a touchdown.
“I told the team before the game that we need to show everyone our physicality,” Jurupa Hills coach Cade Sparks said. “And I think we came out tonight and demonstrated that for all four quarters. It’s a good football team and they (Colton) played really well and they’re explosive, but we were able to hang on and just stick to our core values – integrity, discipline, toughness, sacrifice and pride – and allow that to carry us through the game.”
Colton’s quarterback Koa Regalado completed 10 of 20 passes for 134 yards, 54 rushing yards, two touchdowns and a fumble.
Kalvin Leon finished with 82 receiving yards and two touchdowns for Colton while Isaiah Garcia rushed for 64 yards and scored a touchdown.
Jurupa Hills (2-4) had the momentum for the entire first half. Xavier Curry scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown on the Spartans’ first drive, and a fumble recovery by Daniel Reyes on Colton’s first drive gave Jurupa Hills the ball right back.
And the Spartans made sure to get points off that turnover. Luna’s 2-yard rushing touchdown gave Jurupa a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Colton (3-3) received the ball in the third quarter and was only down two scores with two quarters left to play, which meant plenty of time and opportunities.
Leon scored his first touchdown of the night with a 3-yard reception, and Regalado ran in the ball to complete the 2-point conversion.
After Colton’s defense stopped Jurupa from scoring on the subsequent drive, Colton scored again, this time a 35-yard rushing touchdown from Garcia to give the Yellowjackets their first lead of the night, 15-14.
But as coach Sparks said in postgame interviews, Jurupa’s biggest strength was its physicality, and the Spartans’ continued to put their foot on the pedal with a little over a quarter left to play. Jurupa Hills quarterback Jalen Washington completed 5 of 7 passes for 66 yards, but the rushing attack sealed the game.
Jurupa’s next drive consisted of only three plays – all rushes by Centeno that ended with a 30-yard rushing touchdown and a perfectly executed 2-point conversion.
Luna’s second score of the night came from a 2-yard rushing touchdown on Jurupa’s following drive, giving them a 29-15 advantage.
Colton’s Regalado completed a 55-yard touchdown pass to Leon for his second touchdown, but the timing didn’t land in Colton’s favor as Jurupa ran out the clock
“We missed on some things we usually don’t,” Colton head coach Ray Rodriguez said. “Uncharacteristically, we dropped a lot of passes. … And defensively, I thought we did a good job. There were just a few times where we didn’t meet them in the hole, we didn’t crash down on them. … At the end of the day, the boys have to execute.”
Colton and Jurupa Hill both have a bye week next week.
