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VALENCIA — “PTR, PTR!”
Upland football coaches and players were shouting that acronym to each other after the Scots beat West Ranch 28-21 in overtime Friday night in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 quarterfinals.
“Our motto is pound the rock, PTR, just keep pounding,” Upland head coach Darryl Thomas said. “We’re going to keep chipping away at it, keep chipping away at it and we’ll see what happens.”
“Pound the rock is a thing we live by as a team, it’s a way of life. You just keep pounding the rock and one day it’s going to break,” said senior running back Rickey Allen. “First half was a little rocky but we came out in the second, stuck to our game plan and we pounded the rock and it broke there in OT.”
The Scots’ run game was ineffective in the first half with West Ranch’s front seven playing physical and fast.
The Wildcats leaned on their defense and two touchdown passes from Ryan Staub to take a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Despite the deficit, Upland didn’t deviate from its scheme, continuing to hand the ball to Allen and fellow running back Journee Tonga.
Allen got the Scots on the scoreboard with a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He gave his team a 21-14 lead with less then three minutes remaining in the game on a 5-yard touchdown run.
He finished with over 100 rushing yards on 25 carries.
Staub drove the Wildcats down the field in an efficient two-minute drill, connecting with Brady Van Bennekum on a 2-yard touchdown to tie the game and send it to overtime.
His first pass in overtime, however, was intercepted by Trestin Castro, sealing the victory for Upland. Staub was picked off twice, after throwing just three interceptions all season.
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“I knew they were going to 12 because I made one mistake in the beginning and I knew they were going to keep coming at me,” Castro said. “I saw the quarterback look at the receiver and made a play.”
“That’s a heck of a team, they are a storied program, have been around a long time,” West Ranch head coach Chris Varner said. “We’re fresh and still new to the football game here. We just got to keep plugging forward. The kids gave everything they have and that’s all you can ask.”
Upland will face the winner of Bishop Diego and El Modena, who play Saturday night, in the Division 3 semifinals.