STOCKTON – A time-consuming drive late in the game Friday helped the Weston Ranch High Cougars slip past visiting Kimball, 18-14.

The go-ahead score came at 1:24 mark of the fourth quarter on Bryant Bowen’s 3-yard run, capping a 97-yard drive in thise Valley Oak League clash. 

“For starters, our defense came up big with the goal-line stand,” said Weston Ranch coach Seth Davis, who added that establishing a ground game was vital for his team against the Jaguars.

Kimball had a 14-0 lead at the start of the second half thanks to a pair of Rashaad Cooper touchdowns. His first was set up on a short burst following a 39-yard scramble by quarterback Malik Ransom in the second quarter. Cooper, who finished with 102 yards on 15 carries, picked up a big chunk of it on his 73-yard scoring run to open the third quarter.

Weston Ranch (1-2, 2-4) settled into a nice groove. The defense came up with a fumble, setting up Erron Duncan’s 64-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play.

The Cougars got the ball back following stops by Kevin Arroyo and Bowen on defense. From there, they put together a drive that was kept alive by a fake punt.

On special teams, Robert Strothers got the call and was able to get enough – 15 yards – for the first down. Quarterback Muhammad Khan overcame some passing woes to hit Marque Watson on 27-yard pass play.

Strothers then found an opening up the middle, scoring on a 15-yard run.

Kimball (0-3, 1-5) still maintained the lead after the Cougars’ missed two-point conversion, 14-12. On top of that, Cooper gave his team excellent field position early in the fourth by returning a punt to the Weston Ranch 25.

Eldridge Oubre took it to the 7, hauling in a 12-yard pass from Ransom. The Jaguars had a chance to make things difficult on Weston Ranch but coughed the ball up at the 3.

From there, the Cougars were able to orchestrate a drive that consumed nearly seven minutes off the clock.

Khan hit Watson on passes of 15, 11 and 11 yards. Duncan, who finished with a game-high 116 yards on 17 carries, picked up 15 yards to move his team into Kimball territory.

The drive nearly stalled when the Cougars were faced with a fourth-and-3 situation on the Jaguars 21. They forced Kimball to jump offsides.

Penalties, incidentally, marred this affair as both teams had 100 yards or more tacked off. Kimball was flagged 13 times for 115 yards, while Weston Ranch lost 100 yards on 12 penalties.

Duncan’s 10-yard run placed the ball inside the Kimball 10. Two plays later, Bowen punched it in for the winning score.

“We overcame adversity tonight,” said Davis. “But I think what really helped us was our great week of practice. We also showed we can battle back after being down (14-0).”

Weston Ranch ended the game with the defense pushing Jaguars back to their own 10. Arroyo came up with a sack to secure the win.