Diamond Ranch Advances into Second Round of CIF-Southern Section Playoffs

This coming Friday night, the Diamond Ranch Panthers will face the Muir Mustangs in Round Two of the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division Championships. Diamond Ranch goes into this game after getting the 35-33 victory over Bellflower in a very close and emotional game.

The Panthers got on the board against the Bellflower Buccaneers in the first quarter, scoring a touchdown to cap a seven play 64-yard drive to take the lead 7-0 with 6:11 remaining in the first quarter.

Bellflower was quick to respond to the Diamond Ranch touchdown, as running back Ryan Hunley would score on the 15-yard run. The extra point kick was no good and the Buccaneers trailed 7-6.

Throughout the game offense was in no shortage between both teams as each of them would go on a scoring battle on the next five consecutive possessions. The Panthers go into halftime leading 21-19.

In the third quarter the Panthers would intercept a short pass from the Buccaneers’ quarterback Daniel Luque at the Bellflower 20-yard line, and it would be returned in for the touchdown. The Panthers would open the lead 28-19 with 8:51 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers would score two more times in the fourth quarter and lead 35-27 with 2:23 remaining in the game.

Diamond Ranch would fumble the ball on the Buccaneers' 35-yard line and Bellflower would recover the ball at their own 35-yard line.

A few plays later the Buccaneers’ Luque on third and 10 launched a deep pass that was tipped by a Diamond Ranch defender at the Panthers 30-yard line and into the hands of the Buccaneers' wide receiver Dijon Barnes, who would run into the endzone to score the touchdown with 47.2 seconds left in the game.

Bellflower attempted the two-point conversion, but was unsuccessful and the Panthers went on to win the game 35-33.

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