Niumata Shapes Up, Steps Up for Lobos

Los Amigos running back Andrew Niumata ran wild for the second week in a row as the Lobos rebounded from an embarrassing opener to beat Valencia, 28-25, at Garden Grove High Thursday night.

Niumata, who scored on his first carry for a second consecutive game, rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns in 26 carries. He almost ruined a perfect night by fumbling at midfield while Los Amigos was trying to run out the clock. Defensive tackle Jesus Bizzaro saved Niumata by stripping the ball away from Valencia quarterback Jason Annis on the next play.

“That just put on a couple years in a second,” Los Amigos Coach Roger Takahashi said of the closing seconds. “Andrew always goes 100% and he’s always going for something extra.”

Niumata apologized to his coach.

“That was real bad,” said Niumata of his fumble with 23 seconds left. “I don’t know what happened. The guy had a clean hit on me.”

Last week, Niumata rushed for 177 yards in a 42-20 loss to Orange Lutheran, but Niumata and many of teammates were cramping badly by the second half.

“I needed to get my butt in shape,” Niumata said.

Niumata took off running on Los Amigos’ second play from scrimmage. He grabbed a pitchout on the right side, cut back across and ran untouched down the sideline. He scored in the second and third quarters on runs of five and two yards.

Takahashi said he saw Niumata’s breakout season coming.

“He was kind of hidden last year with an injury,” Takahashi said. “But he was dominant in the summer and he hasn’t stopped yet.”

The Lobos still had some problems in their secondary, but Takahashi was pleased with his team’s improvement.

“Our kids stepped it up,” he said. “They learned a big lesson last week. The biggest thing was changing the attitude and getting them in shape.”

Los Amigos looked like it was in decent shape in third quarter with a 21-11 lead. But the Lobos’ secondary fell asleep for two drives, and suddenly they trailed, 25-21, with four minutes left in the third quarter. Donald Morris’ 65-yard romp closed the lead to 21-18 and Marquis Johnson’s 79-yard reception gave the Tigers their short-lived lead.

Los Amigos drove 81 yards in just seven plays to regain the lead. Niumata’s 30-yard run set up fullback Anthony Faletoi’s 28-yard zig-zagging run down the right sideline. The Lobos dodged a bullet in the fourth quarter when defensive tackle Debos White pressured Annis into an intentional grounding penalty. The 18-yard penalty forced Valencia (1-1) into a 47-yard field-goal attempt by Annis that sailed wide left.