Stars deliver, but Rancho Cucamonga gets a 42-26 victory over Mission Viejo

The Southern Section Division I quarterfinal Friday night between No. 4 Mission Viejo and No. 6 Rancho Cucamonga was the battle of two athletes.

Scratch that.

It was the battle of two football players, plain and simple, but with completely different playing styles and both coaches were worried about how to stop each opposing player.

“Well, I hope we don’t let [Jaylon] Redd have the ball very much,” Mission Coach Bob Johnson quipped.

“We gotta defend No. 7 [Colin Schooler] driving the ball at us,” said Rancho Coach Nick Baiz.

In the Diablos’ corner was Schooler, a linebacker, running back and receiver, who is tough to stop when he gets a full head of steam.

For the Cougars it was Redd, a shifty and dynamic running back, defensive back and kick returner, who is a Top 15 recruit in the state committed to the University of Oregon.

Schooler amassed 288 yards on 21 touches with two touchdowns, while Redd totaled 161 yards and three touchdowns.

Of course, the most crucial stat is what was on the scoreboard and Rancho Cucamonga defeated Mission Viejo, 42-26, ending the Diablos’ 39-game winning streak on their home field, while advancing to play Mater Dei in the Division I semifinals.

Mission Viejo (11-1) opened the game with the first two scores, each from Schooler.

The first came on a 79-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and the second on a 38-yard pass from Matt McDonald midway through the second quarter, giving the Diablos a 13-0 lead.

Rancho Cucamonga (12-0) then scored 28 unanswered points from the 1:44 mark of the second quarter to the three-minute mark of the third, led by three second-half touchdowns from Redd.

Thomas Graham, a highly regarded recruit who holds offers from Alabama, UCLA and USC among other schools, sealed the victory for the Cougars with a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:32 to play.