Paloma Valley wins home football opener behind Carvalho

Dereus Dortch finds some running room in Paloma Valley's 47-32 win over JW North Friday night. Photo by Jen Hauser

Paloma Valley High School jumped out to a 27-0 lead and held on during a wild second half to score a 47-32 victory over JW North High in their first home football game of the season Friday night.

Mason Carvalho ran for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 11 carries as the Wildcats evened their season record at 2-2. Dereus Dortch rushed for 145 yards for Paloma, which built up a 20-0 lead in the first quarter.

Carvalho wasted little time in leading the Wildcats attack, running 74 yards for a touchdown on the team's first offensive series. Jacob Torres ran 3 yards for a score to cap a scoring drive as soon as Paloma got the ball back for a two-touchdown lead. Another TD run by Torres late in the first quarter made it 20-0.

North scored two touchdowns before halftime to cut a 27-0 deficit to 27-24 by halftime. However, by the end of the third quarter, the Wildcats had built the lead back up to 40-22 with a 12-yard touchdown pass by Carvalho and a 55-yard TD run by Jared Garcia.

Paloma Valley's next game has a special twist. The Wildcats will be at home against Temecula Valley, which is coached by former Paloma head coach Bert Esposito. The Golden Bears, 0-10 last season, are 3-1 in Esposito's first year as head coach.

Mason Carvalho crosses the goal line for a touchdown during Paloma Valley's victory. Photo by Jen Hauser

Jacob Torres had a big night running the ball for Paloma Valley in its win over NW North. Photo by Jen Hauser