It's Wildcats' turn to dominate the Menifee Bowl, 28-19
Champions at last, the Paloma Valley Wildcats pose with their first Menifee Bowl trophy. (Photo by Rick Rowell) By Paige Mendez, Corresponde...
By Paige Mendez, Correspondent
The Paloma Valley High football team won the Menifee Bowl for the first time in school history Friday night, 28-19 over Heritage.
Led by quarterback Brady Nelson, who rushed for 139 yards, and running back Stephen Gallegos, who rushed for 123, the Wildcats fought through more than just Heritage’s defense, but also through the rainy, windy conditions on a neutral field chosen the day of the game.
The contest, which has become quite the event for the city, didn’t even take place in Menifee this season because of conditions surrounding the Fairview Fire, which caused school to be cancelled throughout the district on Friday. Instead, the game was played at Valley View High in Moreno Valley.
The relocation was a decision made just that morning. That alone would make the game one for the history books, but Paloma made it an even bigger story by taking their first victory in the Menifee Bowl in 12 tries.
On the other side of the field, the Heritage Patriots (0-4) had to take the Menifee Bowl loss for the first time. Head coach Andre Smith said although there were things that made the game more difficult for his team, at the end of the day that’s not why they lost.
“It starts with me and my coaching staff,” said Smith. “We have to figure out a way to get through to these kids. They’re young and there’s a lot we can do, but it all starts with me.”
Smith’s Patriots found their way into the end zone three times on the night, including the first touchdown of the game when Angelo Serena ran for 12 yards. Then, in the second quarter, Serena ran 9 yards keep the Patriots within a point at 14-13 (they went for two and failed).
Playing behind a strong offensive line, Nelson and Gallegos kept the Wildcats in front. After Gallegos ran 22 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 7-7, Nelson passed 33 yards to Noah Howard to put Paloma ahead to stay.
The Wildcats made it 20-13 in the third quarter when Nelson passed 19 yards to Jacob Villagomez for a touchdown. Their final score came on a 3-yard run by Gallegos.
Heritage’s final touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a drive that began on their own 22-yard line after they sacked Paloma’s punter. That same drive moved forward thanks to Elijah Smith gaining 16 yards and moving inches from the end zone. Those inches were covered by Serena, who rushed for 89 yards on the night.
Elijah Smith and Serena were two bright spots for coach Andre Smith on the night. Also included in that were sophomore Bryan Banks and Daishaun Davis.
Meanwhile, Paloma Valley continued moving the ball behind its offensive line. As a result, the Patriot defense couldn’t stop Gallegos or Nelson, who passed for 56 yards in addition to his running game.
Gallegos said the fact that Serena scored for Heritage on the second play of the game – after a 52-yard run by Akillis Sio – did not rattle the Wildcats.
“We’ve been so close to each other that we just knew if we played as a team, we were going to win, no matter what,” Gallegos said.
Dilley said that sort of resilience is becoming a trademark of the Wildcats.
“That’s the biggest thing that’s different from any other year at Paloma,” Dilley said. “These guys know just because the other team makes a play, it doesn’t mean the game’s over. They know they will make plays too. You just have to keep making plays and know you can come back from anything they do.”
The Wildcats will play Valley View at home next Friday at 7 p.m. and the Patriots will travel to play against Vista Murrieta next Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are just two weeks away from league games.
Editor Doug Spoon contributed to this story.
Noah Howard of the Wildcats celebrates after catching a long touchdown pass. (Photo by Rick Rowell)
Heritage's Angelo Serena tries to fight through a crowd of Paloma Valley defenders. (Photo by Rick Rowell)
