Brahmas bring home the Branding Iron
Following a difficult loss last year, the Diamond Bar High School Brahmas emerged victorious in their annual Branding Iron game against Walnut High School, 35-28, in a tense back-and-forth game.
Senior running back and linebacker Isaiah Young led the offensive stampede for the Brahmas, rushing for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, sophomore quarterback Quinton Mendoza completed nine of 15 passes for 176 yards, connecting to senior wide receiver Maddox Bernardino and junior wide receiver Kai Jenkins for one touchdown each.
On the defense, sophomore linebacker Matt Galvan made 12 tackles along with one sack each from senior defensive end Julian Martinez and senior lineman Joseph Song.
A Brahma-favored first quarter began with an early one-yard rushing touchdown from Young, setting the score at 7-0. On the very next play, the Brahmas recovered Walnut’s kickoff, setting themselves up with yet another opportunity to score. Shortly after, Mendoza connected to Jenkins for a 37-yard reception touchdown. There were multiple possession changes throughout the rest of the period, but no points were scored by either team, ending the quarter at 14-0.
The Brahmas increased their lead early in the second quarter with a 23-yard touchdown reception to Bernardino. However, a missed PAT attempt left the score at 20-0. Shortly after, the Mustangs scored their first touchdown of the night followed by a successful PAT attempt, settling the halftime score at 20-7.
A nail-biting third quarter featured back-to-back Mustang touchdowns with successful PATs for each, turning the tables for a Mustang lead, 21-20. There were multiple possession changes throughout the rest of the quarter, but no points were scored by either team.
Diamond Bar regained their footing and capitalized on Walnut’s errors by recovering a Mustang red zone fumble. Bernardino converted the recovered fumble into a one-yard rushing touchdown and followed it up with a successful reception for a two-point conversion, giving the Brahmas a one-score lead at 28-21.
Shortly after, Jenkins recovered another one of Walnut’s red zone fumbles and gave the Brahmas another offensive opportunity. With only three tense minutes left in the game, Young rushed for a seven-yard touchdown, sealing Diamond Bar’s victory. A Mustang touchdown followed shortly after, but the Brahmas prevailed in the end, 35-28.
With a 8-1 overall record and 2-0 league record, the Brahmas will play their season finale game against the Nogales Nobles at home on Fri. Oct. 28.
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