Will Lester/Staff Photographer
Rancho Cucamonga’s Donovan Harden had four receptions for 80 yards and two TDs despite a 76-yard TD that was called back.
Of its six combined playoff wins in the CIF-SS Central Division the last two years, Rancho Cucamonga never won bigger than it did Friday night. In its first game back in the revered Inland Division, the Baseline League champion Cougars rolled over Murrieta Valley, 37-13, in their playoff opener.
Rancho Cucamonga head coach Nick Baiz didn’t believe the 24-point margin of victory had anything to do with his team drawing a sub-par first-round opponent in the Southwestern League’s third-place team.
“That’s a good football team,” Baiz said. “Just last week they lost to the defending CIF champions (Temecula Chaparral) by seven.”
Rancho Cucamonga’s super-sized offensive line fueled Sateki Finau’s 184 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In his first postseason game, Cougars junior quarterback Dimitri Morales completed his first 10 passes and finished 13 of 17 for 141 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to Donovan Harden, who had four receptions for 80 yards and a 76-yard touchdown catch that was nullified by one of Rancho Cucamonga’s eight penalties.
In all, the third-seeded Cougars (10-1) rolled up 389 yards of offense, at one point scoring on six of seven consecutive possessions.
It was Murrieta Valley (6-5) that struck first after a short punt set up the Nighthawks’ first possession on the Rancho Cucamonga 45-yard line. Ten plays later, the Murrieta Valley no-huddle offense produced a 7-0 lead thanks to a 2-yard touchdown run by Earvin Simmons, who finished with 132 of his team’s 242 total yards.
“We haven’t seen a no-huddle offense all year,” Baiz said. “It took us a series to adapt but once we figured it out we did pretty well.”
It took Rancho Cucamonga all of two minutes and 17 seconds to take a 14-7 lead.
Finau returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards and Harden took a wide receiver screen 27 yards to tie the game. After Murrieta Valley couldn’t secure a pooch kickoff, Rancho Cucamonga recovered the loose ball that led to a 4-yard touchdown run by Finau to put the Cougars in front with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter.
Murrieta Valley mustered consecutive field goals to pull within 14-13. Rancho Cucamonga was fortunate to hold Murrieta Valley to the first field goal after Finau fumbled the ball away at the Cougars’ own 9-yard line.
The one-point deficit didn’t last long.
Rancho Cucamonga rolled 67 yards to take a 21-13 lead on a 32-yard touchdown reception by Harden before Aaric Haley intercepted Murrieta Valley quarterback Andrew Blake, who finished 8 of 22 for 81 yards. The Cougars converted the turnover into one of Erik Zamudio’s three field goals to take a 24-13 lead into halftime.
The Rancho Cucamonga defense allowed just 55 yards in the second half while the offense scored on three of its first four possessions. Finau ripped off a 45-yard run to break the backs of the Nighthawks and make the score 34-13 with 11:23 to play.
“We’re fired up to be here,” Baiz said. “Hopefully we’ll take advantage of the opportunity we’ve given ourselves.”
