Esperanza Survives Comeback Attempt by St. John Bosco

Esperanza held on to a shaky halftime lead and defeated St. John Bosco, 12-6, in front of 1,200 fans Friday night at St John Bosco High School.

Esperanza took a 6-0 lead in the first half, scoring on a five-yard run by fullback Gerrick Emry with 3 minutes 37 seconds remaining in the first quarter. But kicker Clay King’s conversion attempt went wide left.

Flanker Marcus Tayui, who had 95 yards in 15 carries, scored on a six-yard run with 8:10 left in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 12-0. The two-point conversion failed when quarterback Josh Buscaglio overthrew Tayui in the end zone.

After holding St. John Bosco to 47 total yards in the first half, Esperanza (3-0) lost momentum in the second half, allowing 169 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

St. John Bosco tailback Derek Ayers ran five yards on a draw play for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 12-6 with 8:04 left in the fourth quarter. But Esperanza blocked kicker David Harlow’s conversion attempt.

St. John Bosco challenged once more after Aztec halfback Jeff Gaeta fumbled, and the Braves recovered on the Esperanza 43. St. John Bosco drove inside Esperanza’s 10, but Ayers fumbled at the eight, and Esperanza recovered the loose ball and ran out the final 1:19.