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 the non-conference portion of its schedule next week in 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.