Livingston's best game of season not quite good enough

LIVINGSTON -- An inspired Livingston High football team nearly upset Los Banos in its final game of the season Friday before falling 28-18.

Delvonte Moore stepped in at running back after Los Banos pulled star tailback James Sams with a tender ankle. Moore ran for 151 yards in the second half on his way to 196 yards and two touchdowns for the night.

Livingston led 10-7 at halftime after picking off LB quarterback Chris Corpuz three times — all on tipped passes. The Los Banos senior had one interception all season coming into the game.

"This might be one of the best games we've played all year," Livingston coach Chris Lacey said. "But against a quality team like that, you know, somebody had to lose."

Los Banos opened a 21-10 lead in the third quarter on Moore's two touchdown runs before Livingston responded with a 13-yard scoring strike from C.J. Avila to Javier Montanez early in the fourth.

After LB (8-1, 4-1 WAC) recovered an onside kick, Moore coughed up a fumble on the Livingston 7-yard line. Livingston went three-and-out, but LB's Daeton West slipped just before catching the ensuing punt, and Livingston (4-6, 1-5) again recovered the fumble, this time at midfield.

"When it was a 3-point game, it was just a matter of who's not going to make a mistake," Los Banos coach Dustin Caropreso said. "So when we gave up the fumble on the turnover, I was like, 'Uh-oh, that's a big-play momentum-shifter.' "

Instead it was Moore who shifted the momentum, intercepting an Avila pass two plays later.

West was ejected from the game for throwing a punch at a Livingston player. It means he will miss the season finale against Pacheco next week.