Lathrop High got a much-needed Western Athletic Conference win Friday against visiting Pacheco.

"We brought our 'A' game," said coach Justin Muschott following the 39-6 blowout victory,

The defending champion Spartans (1-1, 2-3) wasted little time getting untracked, offensively.

On the third play from scrimmage, Jaylen Santos broke away from the pack, scoring on the 42-yard run.

The Panthers responded with a drive to the LHS 3, but a penalty coupled with an interception by Dario Joseph dashed any scoring hopes.

In the second quarter, the Spartans used the ground game to gouge into the Pacheco defense. Big runs by Santos, Roman Duvernay and Ekam Sohal made for a time-consuming — try nearly six minutes — drive. Quarterback DJ Reyno connected with Sohal to keep the drive alive with Duvernay making his prescription felt with a 2-yard TD.

Duvernay made his Lathrop debut Friday following transfer protocols. He was previously with Manteca the past three seasons.

"(Roman) has worked hard since Day 1," said Muschott, who proudly showcased his new weapon.

Duvernay, by the way, finished with 152 yards on 16 carries while finding the end zone three times.

Santos, who was used frequently during the first four games, continued to do his part by scoring twice while racking up 65 yards to five attempts and hauling in three passes for 16 yards.

Muschott praised his offensive line, which cleared the way for the ground game to tally over 330 yards.

"The coaches challenged both the offensive and defensive lines," he added.

Defensive lineman Joshua Talalele was a disruptive force against the passing game of Pacheco (1-1, 2-3).

He also had a big tackle on special teams, pouncing on the punter inside Panthers 4. A few plays later, Santos nailed a 32-yard field goal to give his team a 17-0 lead at the intermission.

Pacheco scored early in the third when quarterback Marco Anaya, on fourth down, delivered a 39-yard strike to Alejandro Sandoval.

Lathrop dashed any comeback hopes on the next play with Duvernay breaking loose on an 80-yard TD run.

And when Reyno found Santos on a 13-yard scoring strike later in the third, the game was all but over with the Spartans upping their lead, 31-6.

Duvernay closed out the scoring with a 2-yard plunge early in the fourth.

No doubt, Muschott was thrilled with the outcome. "We're back to playing Lathrop High football," he said.