Dinuba charges past Tulare Western in WYL win

TULARE – Smash-mouth football was on display on Thursday night at Bob Mathias Stadium.

Tulare Western’s Wing-T attack versus Dinuba’s pro-style, run-first offense.

The Emperors’ downhill ground-and-pound assault and stifling defense got the best of the Mustangs in a 32-20 West Yosemite League victory.

Dinuba (4-3, 1-1) charged forward for 227 yards rushing, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Senior running back Diego Tuttle led the way with a game-high 159 yards rushing.

The Emperors had three different players score through the ground. Julian Ramirez got the offense flowing with a one-yard touchdown plunge in the second quarter. That was followed by Tuttle's 20-yard run with 3 minutes and 17 seconds left to play before halftime. Matthew Guido then helped Dinuba pull away in the third quarter when he hit paydirt on a 28-yard touchdown scamper.

Dinuba had eight running plays that gained 10 yards or more. Tuttle broke free for 20-, 12-, 23-, 30-, 12- and 15-yard jaunts. Tuttle averaged 10.6 yards per rushing attempt.

"Our guys just played their butts off," Emperors head coach C.J. Lester said. "Our line blocked well. They had a sense of urgency tonight. I could kind of sense that as the game went on. They kind of got better. I didn't see them tail off."

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Turning point: Down 22-14, Tulare Western had a chance to get back in the game.

Facing a first and 10 at their own 44-yard line, Mustangs' head coach Dere Rosa called for a deep shot. Quarterback Xavier Garcia connected with receiver Aubrey Taylor for a big gain but Dinuba cornerback Dom Nunez, after getting beat deep, chased down Taylor and punched the football out for a fumble at the Emperors' eight-yard line. The loose ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Dinuba's Joseph Lopez.

Six plays later, Guido's 28-yard scoring run gave the Emperors a 29-14 lead and they held on for their first WYL victory of the season. Nunez also opened the game with a pick-six, returning an interception 21 yards for a touchdown to hand the team an early 7-0 advantage in the opening quarter.

Ramirez, a defensive end, anchored a Dinuba squad that allowed just 70 yards rushing to Tulare Western.

The Mustangs averaged just 2.1 yards per play and only three rushes out of 33 attempts gained 10 yards or more. Jaanveer Singh had a 35-yard run and also broke free for a 27-yard rush. Ezra Beavers had a 19-yard run in the second half.

Ramirez also had at least two sacks, including a sack-and-fumble, and finished with 22 yards rushing at fullback.

"Me and him kind of went at it this week," Lester said of 6-foot, 220-pound Ramirez. "I challenged him. Me and him are real tight. We hang out outside of football and he's around my family, so it's just one of those weeks where I challenged him a little bit and he challenged me, too, and I wanted to see what he was going to do and he rose to the occasion. He's going to show up, play hard and give it his all every game for us. Having a guy like him, a four-year guy who has been dominating for four years, is always good to have someone like that."

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A bright spot: With Dinuba shutting down Tulare Western's run game, the Mustangs found some success through the air.

Taylor, who is usually a starter on defense at safety, had a breakout performance as a receiver. He caught a game-high six passes for 179 yards and scored on a 50-yard touchdown catch just before halftime.

With Taylor lining out wide, he was able to open up the offense and provided a vertical option for Tulare Western.

That helped quarterback Xavier Garcia complete 12-of-25 passes for a career-best 262 yards passing. Garcia also threw a 10-yard touchdown to Mikey Johnson in the first period.

Taylor averaged nearly 30 yards per reception.

"Aubrey proved himself tonight," Rosa said. "He's more of just a red zone target. The last time we really used him was Whitney with the two fade balls but he's expanded his route tree. He really helped us tonight. He's added a new dimension that we haven't had before as far as deep threat goes. That was the one bright spot."

Tulare Western (2-5, 0-2) may have only two wins this season but four of those defeats have come by 13 points or fewer.

In the fourth quarter, the Mustangs continued to compete, especially in the red zone, forcing Dinuba to settle for a 22-yard field goal. Jon Porter even scored a late touchdown for Tulare Western on a two-yard run with 2:20 left in the game.

"That's been the story of this team — they fight to the finish," Rosa said. "That's why I love this team. The record isn't what you want it to be but when they play hard like that all the way to the end, it makes you want to go back to work Monday real fast."

Dinuba 32, Tulare Western 20

Dinuba       7           15            7             3           -              32

Tulare Western           8             6            0              6           -              20

First quarter

D – Dom Nunez 21 interception return (Angel Rodriguez kick), 8:43

TW – Mikey Johnson 10 pass from Xavier Garcia (Jaanveer Singh run), :20

Second quarter

D – Julian Ramirez 1 run (Christian Lopez pass from Tony Ibarra), 6:55

D – Diego Tuttle 20 run (Rodriguez kick), 3:17

TW – Aubrey Taylor 50 pass from Garcia (run failed), :18

Third quarter

D – Matthew Guido 28 run (Rodriguez kick), 7:31

Fourth quarter

D – Rodriguez 32 field goal, 10:31

TW – Jon Porter 2 run (kick failed), 2:20

Individual statistics

RUSHING – Dinuba: Diego Tuttle 22-159, Tony Ibarra 3-6, Julian Ramirez 6-22, Kristian Bobenrieth 4-17, Christian Lopez 1-(minus) 6, Team-(minus) 1, Matthew Guido 1-28, Raymond Florentino 1-0, Paul Huerta 1-2. TW: Ray'N May 4-29, Mikey Johnson 7-7, Jaanveer Singh 12-62, Emmanuel Ruiz 1-2, Josiah Orosco 1-(minus) 19, Xavier Garcia 6-(minus) 12, Jon Porter 1-2, Team-(minus) 1.

PASSING – Dinuba: Ibarra 5-8-1 75. TW: Garcia 12-25-1 252.

RECEIVING – Dinuba: Nicholas Olivera 2-14, Jimmy Hignojoz 1-20, Lopez 2-41. TW: Aubrey Taylor 6-179, Johnson 2-28, Singh 4-45.

Records – Dinuba 4-3, 1-1; Tulare Western 2-5, 0-2.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Dinuba charges past Tulare Western in WYL win