Amador falls to Rancho Christian in bid for CIF state VI-AA title

Amador High School’s historic postseason run came to a crushing end Saturday night at Murrieta Mesa High School in Murrieta.

The Buffaloes (14-2), despite 175 rushing yards from star tailback Daylan Thetford, fell to Rancho Christian of Temecula 38-13 in the CIF Division VI-AA championship game.

Thetford rolled up 166 yards on 11 carries in the first half as Amador trailed 21-13. But the Eagles held Thetford to 9 yards on seven carries in the second half as they outscored the Buffs 17-0.

Rancho Christian led 7-0 in the first quarter and was looking to take a two-touchdown lead on first and goal from the Buffaloes’ 2-yard line. However, Eagles quarterback Carter Treadway coughed up the football and Amador’s Luis Rolon recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

Amador picked up a first down, gaining 13 yards on its first four plays before Thetford broke free for a 67-yard jaunt to cut the lead to 7-6. Juan Herrera’s extra point tied the score. Thetford added a 58-yard TD scamper to make it 21-13 heading into the break.

Both teams entered the contest riding 10-game winning streaks and neither was expected, back in August when the season began, to still be playing in mid-December.

During the preseason, Amador was consistently picked to finish behind Mother Lode League rivals Sonora and Calaveras. Rancho Christian, meanwhile, began playing football in 2011 and had its first winning season just two years ago.

The Buffaloes qualified for their first Sac-Joaquin Section final this season, beating Bradshaw Christian of Sacramento 30-7 for the Division VI title. Amador then beat Lincoln of San Francisco 45-20 in a Northern California play-in game before downing previously unbeaten Mendota 21-14 in a NorCal Regional Bowl.

This story was originally published December 18, 2016 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Amador falls to Rancho Christian in bid for CIF state VI-AA title."