Warren falls short of staging upset

DOWNEY - The Warren High School football team almost pulled it off last Friday night.The Bears fell to defeat 31-15 at Paramount after taking a 15-14 lead in the third quarter only to be outscored 17-0 in the late third and fourth quarters. Warren fell to 0-9 overall and 0-4 in league play. Paramount improved to 8-1 overall, 4-0 in league play and set up a potential San Gabriel Valley League championship game next week against Dominguez. The Bears will host a Gahr squad who is 4-5 overall, 1-3 in league play and fresh off a 42-35 win against Lynwood. Paramount took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Warren answered back with a touchdown and two point conversion in the second quarter to make the score 14-8 at halftime. The Bears scored first in the third quarter, kicked the extra point and took the lead 15-14. Things looked up for the Bears who seemed ready to shock the Pirates at home. Paramount kicked a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter and took a 17-15 lead as the third quarter came to an end. The Pirates added two fourth quarter touchdowns to seal the win 31-15. It is safe to say Paramount had a scare and were lucky to escape with the win. The Bears certainly came ready to play. The Bear offense dominated the time of possession stat. The Bears ran 80 offensive plays to only 28 for the Pirates. The Bear ground game was led by Darwin Walker's 23 carries for 143 yards, J.R. Vauulu's 15 carries for 109 yards, Michael San Angelo's 12 carries for 36 yards and Daryl Donerson's nine carries for 40 yards. Warren finished their ground attack with 59 carries for 328 yards. Bear quarterback Michael San Angelo completed 4/16 passes for 25 yards with two interceptions. Oscar Herrera caught one pass for 11 yards, Simon Figueroa caught one pass for six yards, J.R. Vauulu caught one pass for five yards and James Basham caught one pass for three yards. The Bear defense was led by Michael San Angelo's five solo and three assisted tackles, Matthew Perez's two solo and five assisted tackles and Jonathan Haik's four solo and two assisted tackles. The Bears were trying to contain Pirate standout Devonte Dixon. Dixon ran for 291 yards on 23 carries and helped pace Paramount's offensive attack.

********** Published: November 1, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 29