Los Amigos Ties Rancho Alamitos

After managing only 14 points in its last 14 quarters of football, Los Amigos scored three second-half touchdowns to forge a 19-19 tie with Rancho Alamitos in a Garden Grove League game Friday night at Bolsa Grande High.

Quarterback Richard Dinh, who missed the Lobos’ previous three games with a knee injury, returned to the starting lineup and ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, hooking up with Matthew Hardin with 43 seconds remaining to tie the score.

A penalty on the extra-point attempt set the Lobos (1-3-1, 0-0-1) back to the 16-yard line and Jose Pineda’s kick fell short. Pineda missed a point-after try with 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter, and his 28-yard first-quarter field goal attempt went wide.

Rancho Alamitos’ kicker Maurice Garcia missed two extra-point tries, and the Vaqueros hurt themselves with nine penalties for 75 yards. Rancho Alamitos (3-1-1, 1-0-1) made five first downs, one in the second half, garnered 114 yards in total offense, and ran only one play in the third period.

“When you’re up 19 points and come out of it with a tie, it’s like a loss,” Rancho Alamitos Coach Mike Enright said.

Garcia provided most of the Vaqueros’ offense, grabbing six passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

Rancho Alamitos scored with two minutes left in the second half when Green hit Garcia with a 24-yard pass. The Vaqueros scored on their only offensive play of the second half when Green and Garcia connected on an 81-yard scoring pass, then opened a 19-0 lead when Fidel Carrillo recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and ran it into the end zone.

Dinh scored on two-yard runs in the third quarter and hit Matthew Hardin with a nine-yard scoring pass to tie the score.