Los Banos edges Johansen in Western Athletic Conference thriller
The Los Banos High football team edged Johansen High on Friday night in what may turn out to be the game of the year in the Western Athletic Conference.
Whether the Tigers’ thrilling 23-22 victory determines who wins the WAC title is yet to be decided. There simply are too many key games left to play in the competitive WAC this season.
But Los Banos’ win in a tense, back-and-forth game on Friday certainly helped its chances.
“We knew we were going to be in a dogfight,” Los Banos coach Dustin Caropreso said. “We preach the fourth quarter. We come together in the fourth; we preach nobody works harder than us. And we did what we needed to do. ...
“Our kids played well tonight.”
Los Banos improved to 4-0 in WAC play, but its next two games, against Ceres (2-2) and Lathrop (4-0), will prove critical.
Johansen, at 3-1 in the WAC, still has an outside chance to share the league title. The Vikings close out the regular season against Lathrop, Davis and Beyer.
After a gut-wrenching loss, head coach Rod Smith Sr. told his team that there’s plenty more to play for in 2023.
“I think we punched them in the face a little bit and gave them a little scare,” Smith said of his team’s effort against the defending WAC champs. “We’re not done this year. We’ve got three more games.
“Our kids are going to get out there and they’re going to work their way back in it, and we’re going to make a run at the playoffs.”
Big game for Johansen running back
Johansen’s game plan against Los Banos was a simple one: Get the ball into the hands of senior running back Tek Garcia.
Garcia — a diminutive runner at 5-foot-8, 145 pounds — was a workhorse for the Vikings. He carried the ball 28 times for 203 yards, and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 21-yard run.
“I’ve been talking about Tek all year — Tek’s special,” Smith said. “We wanted to give him the ball all night tonight, and he just responds. He never complains, just does it. He’s a one-of-a-kind, for sure.”
Los Banos led 10-8 at halftime, and the second half saw the lead change hands four times.
It appeared the Tigers had taken control of the game on quarterback David Herrera’s 1-yard TD run with six minutes left in the game. But Johansen’s Kean Saing returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.
Garcia’s 2-yard point-after run gave the Vikings a 22-17 lead.
Veteran quarterback key for Los Banos
After Johansen took the lead back, Herrera responded, marching Los Banos quickly down the field. The Tigers scored on a 16-yard TD run by Joel Alvarenga to take a 23-22 lead.
Los Banos then intercepted a Johansen pass to ice the victory. It was the only turnover of the game.
The Tigers certainly were buoyed by the calm leadership of Herrera, a senior and three-year starter. He passed for 170 yards and ran for 55.
“He drives our team, and our kids feed off that,” Caropreso said. “He’s the leader. The guys follow him. He stepped up tonight, big-time.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 11:17 PM.
