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Los Amigos football snaps six-game losing streak, beats Bolsa Grande

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In contrast to what the Garden Grove League standings show, Thursday night’s matchup between Los Amigos High and Bolsa Grande would have personal meanings for both football teams.

The teams have struggled to find wins in league play and are at the bottom of the standings. But running back Brian Pacheco helped Los Amigos finally snap its six-game skid with a 21-14 victory over host Bolsa Grande.

The sophomore carried the load. Pacheco rushed 22 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns. His longest score was a 47-yarder in the first quarter.

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“We’ve been trying to learn how to establish the run game all year long. It is what we do,” Los Amigos coach Carl Agnew said. “We’re based off the run, and if you can stop us, you can beat us, and that’s what teams have been able to do these past six weeks. It is good to get through … and hopefully it is a good builder going into next week, that we can create holes against big-sized teams.”

The Lobos (2-6, 1-2 in league) held a 21-7 lead after halftime, and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter where the Matadors (1-7, 0-3) made it a one-possession game.

After a flurry of penalties against Los Amigos’ defense, senior quarterback Andrew Guillen took matters into his own hands. He ran for a 13-yard touchdown to pull his team within a score with 5:37 remaining.

With momentum on its side, Bolsa Grande’s defense made a huge stop to force Los Amigos to turn the ball over on downs. The Matadors took over on their 39 with 2:44 left.

A couple of plays into the drive, Guillen scampered for 13 yards to put his team on the Lobos’ 22. A pair of short runs by senior running back Elian Gallegos, who finished with 22 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown, left the Matadors in a fourth-and-three situation on the 15-yard line with under a minute to go.

The Matadors gave the ball to Gallegos once again to try to extend the drive, but they fell inches short and dropped their sixth straight game.

“It’s a huge morale boost getting a win and snapping a six-game losing streak,” Agnew said. “We’ve got a real young team that needs to learn to win these games. We have to learn not to [commit penalties] late in the game.”

Los Amigos will look to add to the win column next week when it faces Santiago, while Bolsa Grande will try to end its 17-game losing streak in league with a win against La Quinta.

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Los Amigos 21, Bolsa Grande 14

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Los Amigos 7 – 14 – 0 – 0 — 21

Bolsa Grande 7 – 0 – 0 – 7 — 14

FIRST QUARTER

LA – Pacheco 47 run (Escalante kick), 9:56.

BG – Gallegos 3 run (Gallegos kick), 4:34.

SECOND QUARTER

LA – Pacheco 3 run (Escalante kick), 5:45.

LA – Pacheco 3 run (Escalante kick), 4:21.

FOURTH QUARTER

BG – Guillen 13 run (Gallegos kick), 5:37.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

LA – Pacheco, 22-146, 3 TDs.

BG – Gallegos, 22-123, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

LA – Tinoco, 9-20-1, 74.

BG – Guillen, 1-9-2, 10.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

LA – Santana, 2-40.

BG – Gallegos, 1-10.

JUAN CARLOS GONZALEZ is a contributor to Times Community News.

Follow him on Twitter: @JGonzalezSports

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