SANTA ROSA — Lyford quarterback John Rivera had a night to remember Friday night at Warrior Stadium.
The senior threw for 140 yards on 16 of 30 passing and two touchdowns, leading the Bulldogs to a 41-0 victory over District 16-3A, Division I rival Santa Rosa.
Rivera spread the ball around completing passes to nine different receivers, improving Lyford’s record to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Warriors, meanwhile, suffered another setback and dropped to 0-5, 0-1.
Rivera and John Reyna connected on a 16-yard passing play to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 5:58 left in the first quarter.
Four minutes later Rivera stuck again only this time with his feet as the senior scored on a designated running play from 13 yards out to stretch the lead to 14-0 just before the end of the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Lyford caught the Warriors by surprise on an onside kick and managed to recover giving the Bulldogs excellent field position. Six plays later Reyna scored his second TD of the night on a 10-yard run.
Jon Ray Luna and Javier Gonzalez would tack on two more TDs before the end of the first half to put the Bulldogs ahead 34-0.
It was a long, turnover-filled night for the Warriors. Their first six possessions went punt, punt, fumble, fumble, fumble and interception. The wet conditions led to several dropped balls, bad exchanges and errant throws by the offense.
Defensively, the Warriors showed some resiliency in the second half holding Lyford’s pass-heavy offense to one TD while grabbing two interceptions.
Next Friday, Lyford welcomes San Diego at home, while Santa Rosa hosts Falfurrias.