Defensive plays help lift Paloma Valley to win over Arlington

Kole Newton finds some running room in Paloma Valley's victory over Arlington High Friday night. Photo by Jennifer Hauser

Big defensive plays made a big difference Friday night as Paloma Valley High School's football team rallied for a 36-27 nonleague victory over Arlington.

Wildcats junior safety Anthony Stucker forced an Arlington fumble with the Lions driving for what would've been a two-touchdown lead late in the second quarter. Instead, Paloma Valley was down just 21-14 at halftime. Then on the first possession of the third quarter, Dallas Salgado of the Wildcats intercepted an Arlington pass off a tip by defensive teammate Tyler Riggs.

That led to a Paloma Valley scoring drive capped by a Kole Newton touchdown and a two-point conversion, giving the Wildcats a 22-21 lead. They never surrendered the lead in improving their record to 3-4 heading into Friday night's home game and league opener against crosstown rival Heritage.

Newton ran for two touchdowns, Ajani Mendoza ran for one and Cody Cerasaro had one rushing touchdown and a touchdown catch as the Wildcats bounced back nicely from a 35-0 loss to Notre Dame the week before.

"After that loss, we needed to focus on ourselves and not let anything get in our way," coach Tom Tello said about the team's approach in practice this past week. "We've had our ups and downs this season, but the good thing is the kids keep getting up and keeping a positive attitude in place.

"Our defense was able to create some turnovers this time, and they've been doing a good job all year. We just need to focus on being fundamentally sound on defense and make sure we line up right."

Ajani Mendoza heads up the field to gain yardage for Paloma Valley High in Friday night's game. Photo by Jennifer Hauser