Paloma Valley breaks into the win column in a big way, 38-0
The Paloma Valley Wildcats were all smiles Thursday night after scoring a 38-0 victory at Hemet. By Doug Spoon, Editor What a difference a...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
What a difference a day makes.
Just 24 hours ago, the Paloma Valley High School football team was still without a win this season, with just two games left. The Wildcats missed a nonleague game because of COVID-19 protocols earlier this season. They have suffered numerous injuries. They could’ve simply played out the schedule.
Instead, they scored a touchdown in the first minute of the game, led 17-0 after the first quarter, 24-0 at halftime, and finished with a confidence-building, 38-0 victory over host Hemet Thursday night.
So today, with a road game at Valley View next Friday left on the schedule, the Wildcats are celebrating a big win and actually have a chance to qualify for the CIF playoffs.
“At halftime, we just said, ‘Keep it going,’” said Wildcats coach Zach Dilley. “One of the problems we’ve had is when they have some success, they get complacent. We just told them to go out and get more. We reminded them there’s another football team out there that want to make big plays, too. We need to make more than them.”
That’s exactly what the Wildcats did throughout the game. Needing just five plays on their opening drive, they got on the scoreboard with a 32-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brady Nelson to wide receiver KJ Misini. The two teamed up again on a 23-yard TD pass play in the second quarter.
Nelson excelled in his second full game as the starting QB.
“He does the little things you can’t coach,” Dilley said about Nelson. “He’s been able to extend plays. We had one play recently where it should’ve been a 20-yard loss. The snap was on the ground. But he was able to scramble, get out of trouble and throw the ball downfield It was an incomplete pass, but it saved us from a minus-20.”
On Hemet’s first offensive play following the Paloma Valley TD, the Bulldogs fumbled the ball away. Soon thereafter, Nelson was it again, running 12 yards for a touchdown. Johan Garcia added a field goal for a 17-0 lead after the first quarter.
While the Wildcats offense was taking advantage of nearly every opportunity, the defense was pitching a shutout. Jacob Hornbeak and Elijah Orellana had interceptions and Paloma did everything right in keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
“He’s been a solid piece of our defense, and he’s just a sophomore,” Dilley said about Hornbeak. “He plays with such passion and intensity.”
Leading 24-0 going into the second half, Paloma Valley kept the pressure on the home team. Junior running back Stephen Gallegos ran for two touchdowns – a 52-yarder in the third quarter and a 12-yarder in the fourth quarter.
“He joined us after the first few weeks,” Dilley said about Gallegos. “He’s a baseball player, but he got the itch to come out for football. He’s learning the game from the basic level, but every week’s he’s gotten better.”
With a 1-2 record in the five-team Sunbelt League, the Wildcats will closely watch the results of Valley View’s game tonight at undefeated JW North. If Valley View (0-2) loses that game and Paloma Valley beats the Eagles next Friday, the Wildcats would finish in third place with a 2-2 record. Their 2-7 overall record could work against them in the eyes of the CIF playoff committee, but a third-place team with a strong finish could certainly earn an at-large postseason berth.
“The players know there’s a chance they could make the playoffs and they’re hanging onto that hope,” Dilley said. “Who knows?”
Jaiden Martinez contributed content and photos to this news article.
