Buena Reciever Tyler Halbert grabs a pass for a first down as Dos Pueblos safety Alex Contreras guards him in the third quarter. (James Crosby Photos)
Anthony Spiritosanto rushed for two first half touchdowns and the Dos Pueblos defense intercepted two passes in the endzone as the Chargers recorded their third win of the Channel League season on Friday night at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
The homecoming crowd was treated to a 24-19 victory over the Buena Bulldogs.
Dos Pueblos was up 24-6 until Ben Salazar scored two touchdowns for Buena in the final two minutes.
Running Back Anthony Spiritosanto breaks to the outside for a gain in the third period. Spiritosanto scored two of the Chargers’ touchdowns.
“We played three quarters and 10 minutes of excellent defense and we did what we needed to on “O”, and it ended up being a lot closer than it should of, that’s for sure,” said Chargers head coach Nate Mendoza.
Dos Pueblos led 17-0 at halftime thanks to Spiritsanto’s scoring runs and a 41-yard field goal by Nico Bornand.
In the third quarter, Buena moved the chains with more consistency and had chances to chip away at DP’s lead. But quarterback David Corral threw interceptions in the redzone on successive drives in the third quarter.
Jake Uyesaka grabbed the first and Jordan Degraffinreid the second.
“Those interceptions were huge for us,” Mendoza said.
Bornand gave DP its third interception of the second half in the fourth quarter. The senior linebacker ran it back for a touchdown but the play was called back because of an illegal block.
The play still set up the Chargers’ final touchdown, a 3-yard run by LeShon Bell.
“We played as a cohesive unit tonight and just everyone played football,” Bornand said.
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The result makes Dos Pueblos 3-0 in Channel League play and 7-2 overall. The Chargers host Santa Barbara next Friday.
Buena Defensive Back Marcus Dunlap drills Chargers Quarterback Leshon Bell on an outside run in the third quarter.
