bretthauer

Ryan Salcedo scored his fifth touchdown of the night on a 79-yard run up the right sideline with 1:07 to play, lifting visiting Bishop Amat to a 42-38 victory in a wild shootout with Valencia, spoiling a night in which the Vikings got a 50-yard field goal from Matteo Petroski.

Valencia had a final chance to win the game, driving inside the Bishop Amat 15-yard line with nine seconds to play. But Viking quarterback Brady Bretthauer overthrew a wide-open Hudson Sanders in the end zone then had his third-down pass batted down as time expired.

Salcedo scored on an eight-run carry in the first half but went wild in the second, rushing for more than 170 yards and scoring on carries of 48, 11, 3 and 79 yards. Each touchdown either tied the score or put the Bishop Amat (2-1) ahead.

Bishop Amat’s only other touchdown came on Kanan Khansarinia’s 95-yard kickoff return just before halftime. But Khansarinia sustained an injury early in the third quarter and left the stadium on a crutches, a brace on his knee left.

Bretthauer passed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns for Valencia (2-1), hitting Caleb Larson and Brian Bonner on touchdown strikes of 21 and 85 yards in the first half and Anthony Vernon on a 23-yard score with 67 seconds to play, giving the Vikings their final lead of the night. Bonner and Bretthauer also had rushing touchdowns,

On defense Elias Holloway had a big night with a fumble recovery and an interception for Valencia.

Each team attempted just one punt with Bishop Amat’s Mac Naughtin blocking Valencia’s try with less than four minutes to play, setting up the Lancers’ penultimate touchdown.

Running back Brian Bonner of Valencia High was handed the ball at the five-yard line and halted by Chaminade tacklers at the two. That’s when the pushing began. First there were three teammates, led by quarterback Brady Bretthauer, pushing the pile from behind. Soon there was five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 teammates offensive players joining in making sure Bonner recorded a touchdown.

“That was fun,” Bonner said. “I didn’t have to do any work. They just pushed me into the end zone.”

It was that kind of a night for Valencia (2-0) in a 34-20 road victory over Chaminade. The Vikings got physical. Bonner, who has committed to Washington, rushed for 159 yards in 21 carries and scored two touchdowns. Bretthauer completed 12 of 16 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.

“Win the push. That’s what we are all about,” Bretthauer said.

Coach Larry Muir pulled off a trick play his team had been practicing all week. Named “Snake,” Bretthauer took the snap, faked a handoff on a fly sweep, faked a handoff on a reverse and found a wide open Nico Funez for a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter for a 27-14 lead.

Caysen Badawi led Valencia’s defense with two interceptions. Chaminade got some big plays, including touchdown receptions of 83 and 50 yards from Beau Lindus, but the physicality of the Vikings up front along the offensive and defensive lines made Muir scream to the players in a postgame huddle, “Listen — we got physical.”

Chaminde drove 80 yards at the end of the first half with less than one minute left to cut its deficit to 20-14 at halftime. Marquis Jones caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Pooley, who had 267 yards passing in the game. Jones rushed for 82 yards.

Otherwise, it was the Bonner show. He had a 32-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He had a 44-yard run in the second half in which he turned on his afterburners.

The duo of Bretthauer and Bonner is going to be difficult to deal with all season. Bretthauer’s ability to run and pass, and make decisions when to give the ball to the speedy Bonner, offers options on offense.

“I think he’s a million bucks,” Muir said of Bretthauer. “He does everything well. Every intangible he’s off the charts — competitiveness, leadership, work ethic.”

Valencia is the clear favorite to win the Foothill League and gets a matchup against Bishop Amat next week.

It was a night of intriguing scores. Sierra Canyon’s defense continues to produce shutouts. The latest was a 63-0 win over Oaks Christian. Orange Lutheran rallied for a 27-24 win over Rancho Cucamonga. Orange Lutheran and Sierra Canyon meet Sept. 18. Chaminade (1-1) will next play Servite (1-1), a winner over Murrieta Valley.