In the most important league game of the year, the undefeated Brahma football team lost to Chaffey 60-27 and fell out of contention for first place in the Mt. Baldy League. The loss gives the Brahmas a league record of 3-1, in a tie with Chino for second place.

“We viewed this game as the league championship and knew that versing Chaffey was going to be a grind,” senior captain Jonathan Song said.

The Brahmas had trouble with the Tigers from the start, quickly facing  a 22-6 deficit by the end of the first quarter. At the half, Diamond Bar was down 47-20. The Brahmas attributed the loss to Chaffey’s dominant running game and unique defensive formation.

“Chaffey wasn’t more talented than us, we ultimately beat ourselves. Other than that, Chaffey’s offense was hard to prepare for due to their unorthodox heavy running tendencies,” Song said. “Their defense was also confusing as they lined up all over the field unlike [how] a traditional defense would.”

In the loss, Diamond Bar displayed some offensive spark, with junior running back Josiah Hunter rushing for 108 yards and junior receivers Chase Wells and Blake Davis receiving triple-digit yards. Senior quarterback Dylan Karanickolas also passed for a season-high 346 yards. Wells scored two touchdowns, while  Hunter and Davis each had one.

“I think the 510 yards that we put up really speaks for itself. There was great play calling from our coach, and there were also several times where our quarterback took the game into his own hands by calling audibles,” Song said. “The receivers and [Karanickolas] were on the same page that game.”

The Brahmas’ last game of the season will be against Don Lugo at home on Friday.