Pitman High’s Jayden Machado hauled in a 6-yard scoring pass from Brayden Esparza with 14.9 seconds to play, lifting the Pride to a 28-23 come-from-behind victory over Golden Valley on Friday night at Joe Debely Stadium.
Machado lined up as the slot receiver on the short side of the field and ran an out-route just across the goal line. Esparza perfectly placed the ball where nobody but Machado could grab it.
“The play is actually called Spread Rub,” said Machado, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior. “And whenever I hear ‘Spread Rub’ I know it’s coming to my side. Get open; get your head around; get your hands up; come down with the ball … and take the victory.”
Pitman (3-1) trailed 17-6 early but chipped away and took a 21-17 lead when Esparza hit KeiMoine Townsend on a 13-yard screen pass with 10:07 remaining in the contest, capping a 12-play, 76-yard drive that chewed 6:27 off the clock.
The Cougars (1-3) quickly regained control when Isaiah Welch sprinted in from the 40. The Pride blocked the ensuing PAT and trailed 23-17 with 8:12 remaining.
Both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, setting the stage for the Pride’s final drive, which started on their own 43 with 4:28 to play.
Pitman (3-1) rebounded from its first loss of the season last week – a 49-10 setback to Ripon – and will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule next week at home against Atwater.
“I felt like we gave up in the third quarter last week,” said head coach Braden Plaa. “Before the game tonight, I told them, ‘Let’s see what you’re made of.’"
Pitman got on the scoreboard first on Jaiden Brown’s 36-yard touchdown run. Matthew Griffin missed the PAT, and the Pride led 6-0 with 2:51 remaining in the opening stanza.
Golden Valley grabbed a 7-6 advantage after quarterback Gabe Richards scored on a 12-yard keeper with 10:35 remaining in the first half. Three minutes later, Richards struck again, this time for 16 yards away, for a 14-6 advantage.
A 26-yard field goal by Brayden Xiong made it 17-6 with just under 3 minutes left to play in the first half.
The Pride scored with 25 ticks left when Esparza hit Santiago Flores on a 13-yard scoring strike to make it 17-12. Flores ran in for a two-point conversion, and the Cougars held a 17-14 at the break.
