The CIF playoffs delivered an exhilarating match as Colton football triumphed over Ganesha in a thrilling 73-53 contest held at home. The victory came on Friday night, securing Colton a spot in the second round of the CIF Division 12 playoffs, where they will face off against the No. 3 seed Bellflower next Friday at 7 PM.
Quarterback Koa Regalado had an outstanding performance, completing 21 of 28 passes for 400 yards and nine touchdowns, while also contributing 44 rushing yards and another touchdown. His impressive play was complemented by Kalvin Leon, who amassed 138 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and Jonathan Quiroz, who added 109 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Colton”s head coach, Ray Rodriguez, expressed pride in his team”s resilience, stating, “We”ve kind of been in a do-or-die mode. The boys have been fighting all game long. We know there”s going to be times where we”re going to have some adversity, might give up some scores every once in a while, but we know we can compete. We know we can go all four quarters, and that”s what I think the boys have been able to do.”
The Yellowjackets wasted no time, scoring on all but one of their drives. Ganesha, despite the defeat, managed to score 53 points with nine touchdowns, a tally that would typically secure a win in most matchups. However, their defense struggled to contain Colton“s offensive onslaught. Ganesha head coach Andres Hernandez acknowledged the shortcomings, noting, “Their guys made the plays and we didn”t. They just flat-out beat us. There”s no excuses, there”s nothing schematically. It was just they did what they were supposed to and we didn”t.”
In a strong showing, Eamon Graves, the quarterback for Ganesha, completed 17 of 24 passes for 271 yards, while also rushing for 63 yards and accounting for five touchdowns—four through the air and one on the ground. Shamon Farley contributed with 79 rushing yards and 93 receiving yards, scoring two touchdowns. Albert Kelsey also made his mark, finishing with 111 receiving yards, 56 rushing yards, and one touchdown.
The scoring opened with a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Jaron Williams for Ganesha, but Colton quickly responded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Regalado to Leon and a successful two-point conversion. Graves put Ganesha back in front with a 10-yard touchdown run, but Quiroz answered with a 65-yard touchdown, leveling the score at 14.
Scoring seesawed back and forth, with Farley catching a 47-yard touchdown pass followed by a 60-yard touchdown reception from Leon to tie the game at 21. A successful onside kick allowed Colton to regain possession, setting up a 17-yard rushing touchdown from Regalado.
After halftime, Colton led 43-34, with Ganesha missing three two-point conversion attempts as they struggled to rally from behind. Quiroz continued to shine, scoring three consecutive touchdowns from 34, 30, and 35 yards. Henry Rodriguez added a 6-yard touchdown run for Colton, while Taylor caught a 27-yard touchdown pass for Ganesha.
With Colton leading 58-46 entering the fourth quarter, they sealed the game with one final touchdown. Kelsey caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, but it was insufficient as Regalado connected with Julian Gonzalez for an 18-yard touchdown to cap off the night.
“The kids go out there and do their damn job,” Rodriguez said. “I”m so proud of them, they just go out there and execute everything that we ask them to do.”
