RANCHO CUCAMONGA — With a player like junior running back Malachi McFarland, anything seems possible for the Damien High football team.
McFarland played a huge role in guiding Damien to a 48-31 road win against Etiwanda on Friday night. Friday’s win marks the first win for the Spartans against the Eagles since the 2023 season.
Damien improved to 6-1 overall, 1-1 in the Baseline Conference. Friday’s loss drops Etiwanda to 3-4, 1-1.
“This loss is going to help me from a coaching standpoint. Look how we battled against this team,” Etiwanda head coach Paul ’Unga said. “If we battled against this team and we battle like that every game moving forward, and get into the fourth quarter down four, that is all we can ask for.”
Etiwanda fought tooth and nail for four quarters against Damien. Trailing 35-31, the Eagles had a chance to take possession of the ball inside the Damien 20-yard line when the Spartans opted to go for it on a fourth-and-1 with less than three minutes left.
McFarland used his quickness to pull off an 84-yard touchdown run, securing the win. Then, senior quarterback Isaiah Arriaza added a 7-yard touchdown run to put the cherry on top of a successful night.
“I already knew as soon as I saw the crease and open grass,” McFarland said of his long TD. “I got to trust my legs, and it was history from there.”
It wasn’t an easy win for Damien. Etiwanda jumped out first with a 15-yard field goal from Jaydin Barba. The Spartans didn’t get on the scoreboard until the end of the first quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Arriaza to senior wide receiver Eric Osorio for a 7-3 lead.
Etiwanda senior running back Jaleel Sutton made his presence known with a 21-yard touchdown to put the Eagles back in front, 10-7, in the second quarter. Damien committed the first turnover of the game with a muffed kickoff return to set up the Eagles with great field position.
Senior quarterback Keegan Campuzano capitalized on the opportunity with a 4-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 17-7, but Damien refused to go quietly.
“Don’t quit. There’s a lot of game left. One play at a time,” Damien head coach James Stewart said of what he told his players at halftime. “Our boys have been in tough games before, so I don’t see a lot of panic in our guys, which is good.”
After losing on the final drive against Rancho Cucamonga in Week 5, Damien didn’t want history to repeat itself.
McFarland added a 3-yard touchdown and a 34-yard touchdown to his stat sheet, which put Damien in front 21-17, but Etiwanda responded with a pivotal kick return to set up a 25-yard touchdown pass from Campuzano to Michael Knight with seconds remaining in the first half for a 24-21 lead at halftime.
The teams traded blows in the second half. Damien junior wide receiver Travon Garrison Jr had a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to give the Spartans a 35-24 lead, but the Eagles continued to fight.
Campuzano helped his team reach the red zone for a 2-yard touchdown to cut into the deficit, but it wasn’t enough despite having several possessions with a chance to take the lead.
Etiwanda’s loss leaves the team in fourth place in conference play, while Damien remains in third with a home date against Upland next Thursday. Etiwanda will look to bounce back next Thursday against first-place Chino Hills.
