Corona del Sol senior wide receiver Ricky Pearsall exploded across the far-side of the field wheeling behind senior quarterback Ryan Helt to collect a handoff and break for the end zone. Pearsall made the move but was stuffed short: not just of the touchdown, but of the first down marker as well; Boulder Creek ball.

A 16-play drive, which included a fourth-and-seven conversion on play 10, squandered on the goal line in the first half.

“It just keeps getting uglier and uglier,” Corona del Sol coach Jon Becktold said. “… we just have to try and get better.”

The Aztecs’ rushing game was impressive despite the 35-22 loss Friday night at their own Hascall Henshaw Stadium. The Jaguars remained more consistent throughout, pulling ahead midway through the fourth quarter.

“I felt we had a big crowd out here (for the) homecoming (game),” Corona del Sol senior running back Tim Luscombe said. “(Our) line came out, showed out. Little ups and downs here and there, but overall I felt our run game was pretty strong throughout the game.”

Luscombe rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in the losing effort, partially splitting duties with junior running back Sebastian Gutierrez after experiencing cramps at the beginning of the second quarter.

The first half was a low-scoring affair with points coming in more unconventional ways. Immediately after turning the ball over on the failed fourth down conversion, senior defensive end Jaron Reval put Corona del Sol ahead by two with a safety.

“Well tonight I did pretty good (on) both defense and offense,” Reval said. “I did my job blocking for the most part, and (on) defense just (tried) to run around as best I could.”

A Boulder Creek touchdown pass from senior quarterback Caden Austin to senior wide receiver Tanner Salerni, as well as two Corona del Sol field goals created a one-point Aztecs halftime lead at 8-7.

However, Boulder Creek would come out firing to start the second half with Austin finding senior wide receiver and three-star recruit Hendrix Johnson for touchdowns on back-to-back possessions: a 32-yard throw down the right-field side and a 25-yarder across the middle of the field.

“We just got to go back, watch film tomorrow, look at our mistakes, and fix those in practices next week,” Luscombe said. “Get ready for Desert Ridge.”

Pearsall was the highest ranked recruit on the field Friday. However, his impact was minimized by Johnson’s performance for Boulder Creek (2-1). Johnson racked up 190 receiving yards and three touchdowns and was the obvious target for a majority of the Jaguars’ possessions.

After pushing ahead to a 22-8 lead to start the fourth quarter, Boulder Creek was exposed on the next two Corona del Sol drives. Helt unloaded a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Eric Blackwell to cut the deficit to 22-15. Reval and the Aztecs’ defense forced a fumble on the ensuing possession, sparking a three-play drive capped off by a 1-yard Luscombe touchdown rush, tying the game at 22 apiece.

“It’s a great feeling,” Reval said. “When we’re down two scores, and to come back and tie it up, it’s a really big confidence booster. Especially in front of the home crowd, they were getting into it so that really does help us a lot.”

However, the Aztecs’ defense was not able to build on the momentum after an 80-yard touchdown pass between Boulder Creeks’ Austin and Johnson to break the tie and move ahead 29-22. Senior running back Patrick Serrano capped off a Jaguar victory with a 52-yard touchdown run late in the fourth, sealing the 35-22 win.

Despite the loss, the Aztecs draw some positives from their 1-3 start to the season.

“We were more competitive,” Becktold said. “We played for 48 minutes. That’s the best we’ve done.”

On a disappointing night for Corona del Sol, there is at least one silver lining. As it was the homecoming game, a king and queen are rightfully crowned. Reval received the honor as homecoming king in a halftime announcement when he was in the locker room.

“It’s crazy,” Reval said. “When they first gave me the news that I was a nominee, just putting that in my head and thought was kind of crazy. But I’m grateful for the opportunity to be homecoming king.”