Nothing Muddies Rancho Alamitos’ Win Over Covina

A quagmire may not be the best venue to accurately measure how Rancho Alamitos and Covina, Division VIII’s first- and third-rated teams, stack up against each other. But Rancho Alamitos wasn’t complaining about mud, fog or anything else Thursday night.

The Vaqueros defeated Covina, 22-14, at Bolsa Grande High to complete their second consecutive perfect regular season and secure their place as Division VIII’s No. 1-seeded team in next week’s Southern Section playoffs.

“It feels great going 10-0 in back-to-back seasons,” Rancho Alamitos’ running back David Vickers said. “I’m sure not too many teams in the county can say that. It’s a great achievement for the coaching staff and the players.”

Speaking of great achievements, Vickers rushed for a career-high 233 yards and two touchdowns, despite running with a sore left arch and on sloppy track. In his last two games, Vickers has gained 434 yards and scored six touchdowns. So far, Rancho Alamitos hasn’t missed the injured Alex Blanco, who rushed for more than 1,000 in seven games.

“I’m pretty sure that if Alex was at another school, I could have rushed for 2,000 yards,” Vickers said. “And I know he could have rushed for 2,000 without me. It hurts our stats. But in a way, it’s worked out because we haven’t taken the punishment that some other backs might have.”

Vickers has played the last three weeks with a strained left arch that was aggravated in the second half. He sat out a few series in the third quarter, then continued his assault on Covina’s defense.

In the first half, Vickers ran for 116 yards, including a 71-yard romp down the left sideline. He had 117 in the second half, including a 43-yard dash through the muck that set up a one-yard touchdown run, making it 16-8 with 2:34 left in the third quarter. He also set up Robert Kosi’s three-yard scoring run with a 36-yard run.

“He’s a real tough kid,” Covina Coach Darryl Thomas said. “He runs hard and it’s hard to tackle him.”

Covina also had a hard time catching the ball. It dropped two certain touchdown passes in the first half and another in the second half.

“It’s a game of opportunities,” Thomas said. “You must capitalize on your opportunities, especially against a good team like Rancho Alamitos.”

If Covina (8-2) drops a spot in the polls and is the fourth-seeded team, it could meet Rancho again in three weeks in the semifinals.

“I have a bitter taste in my mouth,” Thomas said. “I’d like some revenge.”