Lathrop’s offense sputtered for 23 out of the 24 minutes in the second half of its non-league game at East Union on Tuesday.
Then the Spartans came alive in the final moments to steal a 19-13 victory. They won it with no time left, as Tianna Gonzalez caught a pass from Luz De Luna down the left sideline, avoided a flag pull and dove into the end zone before safety Avina Harrington could catch her.
“Once I had the ball, I knew I was going to score,” Gonzalez said. “I told myself I’m diving no matter what, and she’s not getting me.”
De Luna punctuated the game by completing the one-point conversion pass to Aaliyah Thompson. The quarterback completed 14 of 23 passes for 241 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
On the game-winning drive, which started on the Spartans’ 14-yard line with 1:21 left, De Luna ran for a first down with an 8-yard scramble, then connected with JaLeiyah Ray for a 33-yard catch-and-run.
“My team doesn’t give up,” Gonzalez said. “We know that even when we’re down, we have to pick each other up and make those plays.”
Ray accounted for Lathrop’s other two touchdowns. The first was a 61-yard strike up the middle on a third-and-1 play late in the first quarter. She then scored on a 15-yard hook-and-lateral, which gave the Spartans a 12-7 halftime lead.
Ray finished with 148 yards from scrimmage and five tackles on defense.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second half. East Union’s only points in the half came on the second play, a 32-yard pick-six from Caliyah Lopez that pushed the Lancers (3-2) ahead, 13-12.
Sierra Dormer also had an interception for EU. Pass rusher Jamareyn Ungco recorded two sacks, and Larissa Harries tallied seven tackles. Faith Butler anchored the Lathrop defense with seven tackles and a pass deflection.
While not perfect, the Spartans (1-1) got the bounce-back result they needed after taking a 27-0 drubbing from Kimball in their season opener last week.
“I told the girls, ‘I know we’re better than what we had in that (Kimball) game,’” Lathrop coach Randy Baltazar said. “They have to understand that against these teams we’re playing, it’s a different pace and a different speed.
“(East Union) had a really good scheme, but it just went our way this time.”
Lathrop faces another district rival today at Manteca, while East Union heads to Ripon.
