Dream season continues to semis

In the most important game of the season to date, Porterville brought its ‘A’ game.

The Panthers (9-3), Division III’s No. 3 seed, battled through the first-half rainstorm, got three touchdowns from David Ali and held No. 6 Ridgeview to three pass completions en route to a 28-14 quarterfinal win at Jacob Rankin Stadium, Friday night.

They now continued into uncharted territory with a semifinal showdown in Tehachapi.

“These boys have won more games this year than (the football program) has in the previous eight,” Panthers coach Rick Stewart said. “We made history by winning that first playoff game, now we’ve gotta get to that Valley-Championship game.

“I think this might have been our best game of the year overall.”

Ali did to Ridgeview what he had done to nearly every team on the schedule this season in rushing for 148 yards on 26 carries and found the end zone three times. His back-breaking run came early in the third quarter when, on a fourth-and-1, the junior took an off-tackle play 28 yards to paydirt behind big blocks from tight end Tre Davis and wide receiver Tyler Moody.

The score put the Panthers up three touchdowns, putting run-happy Ridgeview in too deep of a hole.

“We asked our O-line to step it up this week and they did it,” Ali said. “This is all them.”

Starting linemen Mitchell Kurz, Casey Ray, Diego Paniagua, Johnny Nieto and Russell Thornhill opened big holes for Ali, Michael Clark and Jordan McIntire all night, controlling the Wolf Pack’s defensive line.

“They just completely dominated the line of scrimmage,” Stewart said. “It might have been our best game all season from our O-line.”

Ali had six runs of 10 yards or more, which got the Wolf Pack defense looking his way, opening holes for big gains by his teammates.

“A lot of times, even though I wasn’t getting the ball, they’d come tackle me,” Ali said. “We’re kind of good at that, tricking people (as to) who’s got the ball. They were keying on me a bunch.”

Porterville got its first touchdown when Ali was smashed by the Ridgeview defense as he charged up the middle. The lone problem for the purple- and gold-clad defenders was quarterback Richie Coppenbarger had the ball, as he scampered in from 5 yards out untouched.

The offense got another chance to showcase its running game when Brandon Gonzalez recovered a Tyler Dogins fumble on Ridgeview’s ensuing possession. Five Ali runs later — the final carry from one yard out — and Porterville was up 14-0.

Dogins’ fumble, a botched handoff, was the ball carrier’s lone gaffe, however, as the senior quarterback carried the Wolf Pack on his back, rushing for 183 yards on 34 carries.

Dogins had Ridgeview poised to cut the lead in half in the second quarter when he directed a 13-play, 78-yard drive that was highlighted by fourth-down conversions by Dogins and Johnny Carter.

The Wolf Pack had four shots from inside the Panthers’ 10-yard line, but failed to convert, however, when Dogins’ rollout pass bounced off Joel Smithey, keeping them off the scoreboard.

“Gosh, how many goal-line stands has our defense come up with this year? It’s been incredible,” Stewart said.

The much-maligned Panther pass defense also picked a key night to shine, as it held Dogins and the Wolf Pack to just three completions for 39 yards. Coppenbarger, who didn’t complete any passes on offense, had the secondary’s play of the night with a fourth-quarter interception deep in Ridgeview territory, halting any hopes for a last-ditch Wolf Pack comeback.

Clark also rushed for 39 yards with McIntire dashing for 32.

The Panthers now get to travel to Tehachapi, which eked out a 21-14 win over No. 10 Foothill, taking the lead with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, where cold temperatures and a tough-minded team await.

“It’s like us playing in the mirror. They’re smash-mouth football,” Stewart said. “They take a lot of pride in playing up there on the mountain in that cold weather. They run the same offense we do, they pretty much run the same defense we do. It’s gonna boil down to who doesn’t wanna turn their pads in.”

Added Davis: “It’s our year. The stars are aligned, everything’s goin’ good. I can’t wait.”