Bears complete perfect Gateway season with win
DOWNEY » Heading into Friday's regular-season finale, Warren football coach Kevin Pearson wasn't thrilled with his team's last performance.
“I think we kind of took a step back last week,” Pearson said before the game. “I don't think we played our best game last week after that big game against our rivals. I think we got refocused this week in practice.”
Warren looked razor sharp Friday, defeating Dominguez 50-6 to finish undefeated in the Gateway League, winning it outright for the second consecutive season.
Warren quarterback Madden Iamaleava completed 13 of 22 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception and rushed for a touchdown. Jordan Ross caught four passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Lynnden Hodge rushed for 58 yards on nine carries.
Warren (8-2, 5-0) converted a turnover into points to start the scoring late in the first quarter. With Dominguez on the Warren 4-yard line, Camren Washington recovered a Dons fumble to give Warren possession. Then two long passes, the first from Iamaleava to Jordan Ross for 24 yards, and then a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Ross set Warren up with an 8-0 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.
The Bears scored on their next two possessions as well. First, Iamaleava found Jordan Ross for a 15-yard touchdown pass and a 16-0 lead with 49 seconds left in the first quarter. Then Iamaleava found Ross again for 33 yards and his third touchdown pass. That built Warren's lead to 23-0 early in the second quarter.
Then, with Dominguez (6-4, 1-4) at the Warren 30, the Warren defense tipped a Mikaele Fitu-ahkui pass, which fell into the hands of Jordan Jones, who returned the ball 70 yards for a Bears touchdown and a 30-0 lead with 3:34 left in the half.
Iamaleava and Jordan Ross continued their chemistry in the third quarter. On first-and-10, Iamaleava and Ross combined for their third touchdown connection of the night, this one for 38 yards and a 37-0 Warren lead after the extra point.
Dominguez found the end zone with 1:42 left in the third quarter, when Fitu-ahkui threw as he fell and found Skyedann Bobo-Gunther for an 8-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Warren lead to 37-6 after a missed extra point.
Mikaela Fitu-ahkui completed 7 of 23 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. He threw one interception. Ezekiel Belote led the ground attack, gaining 35 yards on 16 carries. Skyedann Bobo-Gunther caught three passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Urbina had an interception for the Dons.
Warren scored twice more to close out the game, first with a 1-yard dive from Iamaleava then with a 6-yard run from Michael Reiner as time expired for a final of 50-6.