Palmdale Looking Golden With Victory Over Littlerock

Palmdale High took a big step toward earning its first outright Golden League title in more than 30 years with a 25-14 victory over Littlerock on Friday night, but the Falcons may have acquired a bit of a quarterback controversy along the way.

Junior quarterback Johnathan Thompson replaced ineffective starter Grant Livermont late in the third quarter to spark Palmdale’s comeback.

With the Lobo defense concentrating on running back Jason Anderson, Thompson gained 71 yards in seven carries and scored the winning touchdown on a six-yard run with five minutes left.

“I don’t think [Little Rock] was expecting Thompson,” said Palmdale coach Jeff Williams. “He brings something different to the table.”

Palmdale (7-2, 4-0) needs to only defeat Highland next week to win its first outright league title since 1965. Palmdale shared the title last year with Antelope Valley and Highland.

Livermont was benched after throwing interceptions on consecutive series in the third quarter. Littlerock capitalized on the second interception to take a 14-7 lead on an eight-yard run by fullback Conrad Castrellon.

Williams still made the switch even though Thompson had thrown an interception earlier in the game when he played quarterback on a trick play.

Anderson, who had gained 499 yards rushing in his previous two games, finished with 189 in 27 carries.

Livermont completed three of 10 passes for 64 yards.

“We’ll try and get everybody focused for next week,” Williams said. “but I wouldn’t hesitate to bring Thompson in again.”