SCORING SUMMARY
Johansen 8 8 6 0 – 22
Lathrop 0 12 7 12 – 31
First quarter
J – Tek Garcia 36 run (Garcia run), 10:00
Second quarter
J – T. Garcia 94 run (Kean Saing run), 10:40
L – Julio Garcia 6 run (pass failed), 8:52
L – Andre Muqhar 6 run (run failed), :45
Third quarter
J – T. Garcia 35 pass from Joe Carranza (run failed), 6:45
L – Jimari Dove 7 run (Jose Rodriguez kick), 4:43
Fourth quarter
L – Pablo Pena 4 run (run failed), 9:17
L – Pena 1 run (kick failed) 2:07
In pursuit of the Western Athletic Conference crown, Lathrop High passed a stern test Friday against visiting Johansen.
The Spartans (5-0 WAC, 5-2 overall) held on to the top spot with a 31-22 victory. They head to Los Banos for a first-place battle next week.
"The game was played and won in the trenches," said Lathrop coach Ryan Teicheira.
He was pleased with the efforts of his running backs, who combined for 248 yards.
Pablo Pena and Jimari Dove accounted for most of the damage in the second half.
Down 22-12, Dove got rolling with runs of 12-, 11-, and 8- yards in the third quarter. After a personal foul penalty in the red zone, he scored on 7-yard run.
Pena put Lathrop ahead in fourth with his tough inside running. The 230-pound sophmore powered his way on scores of 4- and 1- yards, giving his team the edge.
The Spartans defense, which appeared vulnerable early on, tightened late in game. Casyn Hopping and Sean Teu were among those converging on sacks.
"We eventually wore them down," said Teicheira of the battle-tested Vikings (3-2, 5-3).
Johansen scored on its first two possessions, with Tek Garcia breaking free on runs of 36- and 94- yards
Lathrop's offense didn't get untracked until the second quarter.
Dove returned a kickoff to the Johansen 47. Teagin Shevlin followed suit, hauling in a 25-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Blase.
Julio Garcia got Lathrop on the scoreboard on his 6-yard touchdown run.
The Spartans defense made their first stop, setting up the offense for a good run. Andre Maqhar picked up 19 yards followed by Pena's gain of 33 yards. Shevlin kept it going with a 12-yard reception, with the Vikings committing a personal foul in the red zone, in turn setting up Maqhar's 6-yard score.
At the half, Johansen led, 16-12.
Tek Garcia, who had a game-high 150 yards on 23 carries, tacked on to the lead by taking a short pass from quarterback Joe Carranza, and darting 35 yards to the end zone.
Pena led Lathrop with 85 yards on 12 tries while Dove racked up 73 yards on 14 pops.
Muqhar picked up 47 yards on six carries and Julio Garcia gained 43 yards on 10 attempts.
Both teams combined to throw the ball five times.
