Porterville runs over Mission Oak 61-35
Porterville High School’s one-two punch of Isaiah Jones and Robert Jimenez scored a knockout Thursday.
The Panthers’ talented running back tandem combined for nearly 500 yards rushing as Porterville hammered Mission Oak High School 61-35.
Jones single-handedly outscored the Hawks. The speedy 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior tailback carried 33 times for 306 yards, six touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.
Jimenez was also a force, averaging more than 10 yards per carry. He rushed for 180 stripes on 14 totes, including a 30-yard scoring scamper.
“He’s a great back,” Jones said of Jimenez. “When he does his job, it makes my job easier. And when I do my job, it makes his job easier.”
But the win wasn’t as easy as the final score indicates.
Mission Oak led for most of the first half, and trailed by just six points midway through the final quarter on the strength of their passing attack. Hawk senior quarterback Trey Mcjunkin had a career night, completing 18 of 40 passes for 277 yards and five touchdowns.
It wasn’t enough, as Porterville scored at will in the second half, including the final 20 points of the game.
“We hung with them for awhile,” Mission Oak head coach Mark Gambini said, “but they wore us down in the end.”
As the Hawks tired, Jones got stronger, scoring on touchdown runs of 53, 20 and 17 yards in a six-minute span of the fourth quarter.
“The credit goes to the offensive line,” Jones said. “We picked up the tempo on offense, and the line started making their blocks.”
Meanwhile, the defense put the clamps on the Mission Oak passing game. Mcjunkin was just 5-of-18 passing after the break.
“It was a tale of two halves, I guess,” said Porterville head coach Carl Scudder. “We made a couple of adjustments at halftime on offense and defense, and flat out played a great second half.”
Panther senior quarterback Alfredo Verduzco also played a key role, engineering an offense that gained more than 600 yards, and didn’t commit a turnover.
Verduzco threw a pair of long touchdown passes, hitting junior Tyler Daguman and senior Anthony Ruiz in stride on scoring strikes of 58 and 34 yards respectively.
On defense, the Panthers forced a pair of turnovers, setting the tone early when senior linebacker Andrew Ruiz recovered a fumble on Mission Oak’s second possession.
Panther junior Julian Lopez recovered a fumbled kickoff in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a 17-yard Jones touchdown run that sealed the East Yosemite League win.
Porterville, which played an array of larger schools and section champions early in the season, improved to 2-4 overall in their EYL opener. Mission Oak slipped to 2-4.
The Panthers will attempt to mount a winning streak next week when they travel to Tulare to take on Tulare Western at Bob Mathias Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Score by Quarter:
Porterville - 6 15 12 28 - 61 M. Oak - 14 7 7 7 - 35
Scoring sequence:
P - Jones 18 run (kick failed) M - Villa 9 pass from Mcjunkin (Orozco kick)
M - Butler 27 pass from Mcjunkin (Orozco kick)
P - Daguman 58 pass from Verduzco (Jones run)
M - Butler 23 pass from Mcjunkin (Orozco kick)
P - Jimenez 30 run (Borman kick)
P - Jones 11 run (kick blocked) P - Jones 9 run (run failed) M - De Macablin 24 pass from Mcjunkin (Orozco kick)
P - Ruiz 34 pass from Verduzco (Jones run)
M - De Macablin 16 pass from Mcjunkin (Orozco kick) P - Jones 53 run (Jimenez run) P - Jones 20 run (kick blocked)
P - Jones 17 run (kick blocked)