By Peter Day
Staff Writer
LUCERNE VALLEY — You couldn't have scripted it any better.
Trailing at the half time — despite some good play — the Lucerne Valley Mustangs football team depended on guts to pour it on during the second half for a dramatic 46-42 victory against the California Lutheran C-Hawks.
Not only was there excitement on the field, however, but during half time the school's Homecoming festivities took center stage. Courts from the different classes made a dramatic entrance with the the royalty throwing candy to game attendees in a colorful, lively "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" theme.
While the Homecoming court made for a sweet half time, it was the football team that brought drama — and ultimately a victory.
While passing and receiving yardage was minimal, the legs — especially those of Jacob Carmona — made the difference on offense. Senior Carmona carried the ball 30 times – for 233 yards! Jordan Jones, also a senior, averaged 5.1 yards per carry for a total of 61 yards. One run was for a whopping 55 yards. Others gaining rushing yardage were Nic Colangli, David Cummings and quarterback David Hurtado.
Hurtado showed he is also a beast on defense, leading the Mustangs in tackles with 8. Carmona and Nacho Perez had 5 tackles. Riley Moreno and J. Angeles each had 4.
Jacob Carmona scored three touchdowns and made six points on conversions, accounting for more than half of Lucerne Valley's total points with 24.
Lucerne Valley got out ahead for the first quarter, scoring 8 to Cal Lutheran's 6. But a see-saw second quarter saw the visiting team lead at the half time by scoring 22 second-quarter points to Lucerne Valley's 14.
Apparently the Willy Wonka theme — and hometown spirit — pumped up the Mustangs as they scored 16 third-quarter points to Cal Lutheran's zero. The C-Hawks came on strong in the final quarter, scoring 14 to the Mustangs' 8, but it wasn't quite enough as Lucerne Valley led at the end of the game by 4 points.