Golden Valley and West Ranch don’t have a shot to lock up a playoff spot with a top-three finish in the Foothill League heading into their meeting Friday at Canyon to close out the regular season.
Even with a Saugus loss to Hart, the Centurions hold the tiebreaker over both teams due to head-to-head wins.
Both Golden Valley and West Ranch are within range of an at-large bid to the postseason, with both teams ranked in their respective CIF-Southern Section divisions. But a win to close out the season would certainly bring an extra sense of relief for either team’s playoff hopes.
Golden Valley (4-5, 1-3 Foothill League) was less than a minute away from pulling of a victory over Hart, until Da’Von Jones put the Indians ahead with 13 seconds left in the game with a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown.
MORE: Last-second punt return TD leads Hart past Golden Valley
The Grizzlies wildcat offense, featuring DeGabriel Floyd was firing on all cylinders with Floyd throwing and rushing for touchdowns. Jalin Lewis hauled in Floyd’s passing touchdown and also added a rushing score.
More impressive, though, was the pressure the Grizzlies put on JT Shrout with C.J. Ravenell, who logged 2.5 sacks on the night and Derresse Morganfield, who had 2.5 tackles for a loss.
West Ranch (5-3, 1-3) has yet to find the win column since a victory over Canyon in its league opener. Weston Eget connected with Jovan Camacho for a 54-yard touchdown and rushed for a score in the loss.
The Wildcats have lost to Golden Valley the last two seasons but won the first nine meetings between the schools.
