VALENCIA — West Ranch football took a tough loss on Friday night, losing 42-6 to a stout Bishop Diego team.
That loss dropped the Wildcats to 0-2 on the season following a lopsided loss to Pacifica in their opener, but for first-year head coach T.J. Yonkers, he would tell his team not to get down on themselves after the early setbacks.
“The message is the same as all along: ‘Stay the course.’ We know there’s games we can win in league, and ultimately, the playoffs are determined by your positioning in league.”
It was largely a difficult game for West Ranch, though, as sophomore quarterback Humza Harsolia threw three interceptions on the night and Bishop Diego’s secondary was able to contain the Wildcats’ receivers, including junior pass catcher Charlie Samuelson. Samuelson made a big play in the first quarter, but was mostly held in check, as was the rest of a struggling West Ranch offense.
Turnovers and problems scoring in the red zone were the themes of the night for a young West Ranch team, and Bishop Diego was able to seize full control when John Michael Flint caught an 8-yard touchdown to put the Cardinals up 28-0 halfway through the 3rd quarter.
West Ranch got on the scoreboard just after that, as junior running back Mesziah Ramos scored a 60-yard touchdown immediately following a kickoff out of bounds penalty against Bishop Diego.
A comeback wasn’t in the cards for West Ranch, however, as a two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete and Bishop Diego tacked on two more touchdowns by the end of the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to the final score of 42-6.
“I think there’s always something we can learn from,” Yonkers said postgame.
“We are a very young team, and on top of being young, we’re very inexperienced, so we’re gonna take some lumps. We’re gonna have an opportunity to learn a lot from the film. There’s bright spots. There’s always gonna be a bright spot. Right now, we’re looking at our juniors. Hopefully, we can get them to boost the overall performance of the team.”
Yonkers gave credit to Ramos and defensive lineman Max Greenberg for being two of the bright spots in Friday’s defeat, but did concede that the season so far has been challenging.
“Like I said, we’re young, so they’re few and far between, but we got some bright spots.”
When all is said and done, West Ranch could prove to be a contender for third place in the Foothill League – and earn the league last automatic playoff berth that comes with it, but there has been undeniable growing pains for a Wildcat team in transition – they lost multiple key players to graduation and are moving forward after longtime head coach Chris Varner retired after last season.
Time will tell if West Ranch can flip the script of their 2025 season, but so far, it’s been an arduous road for the Wildcats.
The next game on the schedule for West Ranch is a road game at Antelope Valley High School next Friday, Sept. 5.
