Disappointment was the predominant emotion felt after Ayala fell 49-0 on October 10 to their rival, the Chino Hills Huskies, in the most anticipated sports game of the year for both of the schools. Ayala headed into this year’s Battle for the Bone (BFTB), the animalistic name that arises with both of the mascots of the teams resembling dogs, as the undisputed underdog with a 0-6 record. Ayala’s underdog status was not just due to a dismaying performance in their games, but also to a prior incident a week prior against Etiwanda, which resulted in their first-year head coach, Terrance Smith, and various other players vital to Ayala being suspended.
The first set of blows that kick-started Chino Hills’ momentum began early in the first quarter as the visiting team secured a rushing 23-yard touchdown after breaking several tackles that immediately set the tone for the rest of the game with 7-0 on the board. Rushing seemed to be vital to Chino Hills’ game plan as they rushed in another touchdown for 7 yards that ended the quarter with Chino Hills on top with an assertive 14-0 lead. The next quarter would not ease any of Ayala’s worries as they doubled their previous quarter’s total, scoring 28 in just one quarter. The scoring ensemble would begin with a fumble from Ayala that Chino Hills jumped on and secured to set them up at a promising 18-yard line on their own side, prompting the longest pass of the game to #9 Calum Ferrel (12). This series of events resulted in a five-yard pass touchdown to #1 Luke Lopez(12). The last touchdown of the quarter would feature another rush for eight yards by Chino Hill’s running back, #10 Jacob Jimenez (12), ending the quarter’s final tally at 28-0.
As halftime approached, it was clear that Ayala needed to make some much-needed substitutions if they wanted a chance at a miracle to climb back from a 42-0 deficit. After halftime, the only thing that would change would be the Huskies’ energy as none of the teams managed to secure at all during the 12-minute quarter that served as the most uneventful of the evening. In the fourth and final quarter, #12 Wyatt Turner (12) would score the final touchdown of the game with just eight minutes remaining.
This outright dominating performance by Chino Hills not only shocked Ayala’s football players and staff, but also their students as their hopes for a competitive matchup vanished in front of their eyes as the jampacked student-section watched. This disheartening outcome not only underscores Ayala’s lackluster performance throughout the season, but also the consequences of a short-handed roster, coaching staff, and the team chemistry impacts.
“It’s definitely not what we thought we were going to put out during the week. I think it came down to some of our crucial players getting injured before or during the game,” Ayala football player Laird Barrows (10) said.
