Game of the Week: Hesperia hosts Adelanto after impressive victories to start the season

The Hesperia football team turned quite a few heads after pulling off a 34-20 victory over Barstow in the season opener.

The Scorpions beat Barstow by a wide margin of 36-7 in 2022; however, things seemed different this year.

Hesperia saw quite a bit of roster turnover, losing several key contributors to graduation.

Barstow, on the other hand, returned nearly all its starters from the previous season, including playmakers like Demetri Curiel and Johntae Drisdom.

Ultimately, it was a couple of new faces making the biggest impact for the Scorpions to start the season.

Da’Lon Thompson, a sophomore, broke loose for 141 rushing yards. Anthony Lopez, making his first start at quarterback for Hesperia, completed seven of eight passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Lopez, a transfer from Oak Hills, won the starting job after a position battle with Maddox Rodriguez, who made a key interception in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal.

More: High Desert football: Find out everything you need to know for the 2023 season

Lopez impressed Hesperia head coach Casey Goodnough after leading the offense.

“He just brings a great confidence to it and he was a great leader,” Goodnough said.

While the team's offense will always stand out on paper, the defensive effort from Gavin Stolpp really set the tone in the fourth quarter as Barstow tried to rally.

Stolpp caused three fumbles in the final quarter, recovering two, including one for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

It was Stolpp’s first-ever start on the defensive line and he delivered.

Following the victory, the Scorpions find themselves at No. 4 in the Daily Press Power Rankings, with another chance to prove they are the real deal.

Hesperia hosts Adelanto in the Daily Press’ Game of the Week on Friday night.

The programs have met twice, with Adelanto on the winning end both times. The Saints beat Hesperia 28-15 in 2019, and squeezed out a 30-27 victory in 2018.

The Scorpions enter the matchup as the favorite, according to CalPreps.com’s rating system. Hesperia is rated 1.9, while Adelanto checks in at -14.5.

The Saints are also 1-0, after beating Castaic in their season opener.

Adelanto had key contributions across the board, but none bigger than the 205 rushing yards and a touchdown from Shakir Collins.

The running back also led the defensive effort on the line with 10 tackles and three sacks.

Also on the defensive line, Marquise Pacheco recorded three sacks, to go along with five tackles.

Like Hesperia, Adelanto saw a great performance from a quarterback making his first-ever start.

Tre People, a transfer from Rancho Christian, filled in at quarterback after Pacheco suffered a minor injury that relegated him to defensive duties.

People completed 10 of 15 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. People connected with Mario Smith on five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, and Gavin Hall on four passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Collectively, the Saints ran wild for 371 yards on 29 carries, with Kenneth Porter taking 15 carries for 105 yards, and Xavier Collins — Shakir’s brother — logging 10 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.

This has the makings of a classic with two strong defensive lines up against solid running games.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Scorpion Stadium. Here’s a brief look at the rest of the local action in Week 1, starting with three Thursday night games.

More: High Desert Football Power Rankings: The Daily Press Top 5 after the first week of action

Silverado (0-1) at Yucaipa (1-0), 7:30 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Silverado -2.6, Yucaipa 10.3

Game notes: Silverado is coming off a 57-0 loss to Servite, while Yucaipa beat Santiago 59-14 in its season opener. This is the fifth meeting over the last six seasons between the teams. Silverado beat Yucaipa last season 28-13, and also in 2019. Yucaipa won the meetings in 2018 and 2021. In last year’s meeting, Silverado racked up 320 yards of offense.

Carter (1-0) at Granite Hills (1-0), 7:30 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Granite Hills -6.8, Carter -21

Game notes: The Cougars are coming off an impressive 22-21 victory over Palm Springs in the season opener, while Carter beat La Sierra 33-6. In the victory, Kameron Smith led the offense for the Cougars with 81 rushing yards and 74 receiving yards. He also punched in the game-winning two-point conversion. Quarterback Jordan Dalton, in his first start for Granite Hills, threw touchdown passes to Smith and Josh Soto. Expect to see a lot from both Dalton and Smith in the home opener.

Entrepreneur (0-0) at Lucerne Valley (0-0), 7:30 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Lucerne Valley -48, Entrepreneur -32.2

Friday

Highland (0-1) at Oak Hills (1-0), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Oak Hills 38.9, Highland 17.1

Game notes: Ranked No. 1 in the first Daily Press Power Rankings of the season, the Bulldogs looked great against Aquinas last week. Oak Hills won 42-15 with Karson Cox setting the tone when he broke loose for an 80-yard rush on the first play of the season. Diego Lopez threw two touchdown passes and John Swain IV had two interceptions on the night, including a pick-six. The Bulldogs held Aquinas to just 49 passing yards, and intercepted three passes. Oak Hills has not lost a regular season game since Sept. 10, 2021, winning 17 regular season contests since then. Highland is coming off a 34-7 loss to Liberty last week. Oak Hills has beaten Highland twice in the last two seasons, with a 61-18 point differential.

Apple Valley (1-0) at Chaparral (0-1), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Apple Valley 23.6, Chaparral 36.8

Game notes: Two games in and the Sun Devils have their first big test of the year as they head to Temecula to take on Chaparral. The Pumas lost their season opener 20-10 to San Clemente, while Apple Valley blanked Eastlake 25-0. Defensively, Apple Valley held Eastlake to 109 yards of total offense, including 78 rushing yards. Anthony Navarro led the way defensively with five sacks and 15 total tackles.

Liberty (1-0) at Sultana (1-0), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Sultana 6.4, Liberty 6.5

Game notes: The Sultans are looking to start the season 2-0 in consecutive seasons, something that the program hasn’t done this century. Sultana is coming off an impressive 27-16 victory over Lancaster, in which Jacob Higgs threw two touchdown passes. He completed eight passes for 106 yards, throwing touchdowns to LaMason Waller and Cameron Ortega. Higgs also ran for 136 yards and a touchdown. Liberty shutout Valley View 53-0 in its season opener.

Serrano (0-1) at Patriot (1-0), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Serrano -1.1, Patriot -7.7

Game notes: The Diamondbacks are looking to bounce back from losing the season opener to Eisenhower 28-14. Serrano utilized a running game that saw Carlos Amplayo, Jhansi Edgerson and Trevor McSween each take 10 carries. Amplayo racked up 103 yards with a touchdown. Patriot is coming off a 23-7 victory over Rialto.

Lancaster (0-1) at Barstow (0-1), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Barstow -7.8, Lancaster -11.6

Game notes: The Aztecs committed three costly turnovers in the fourth quarter in the season opener against Hesperia. Barstow lost 34-20 despite racking up 333 yards on offense. The Aztecs ran for 193 yards collectively, as Demerti Curiel led the way with 92 yards and a touchdown. But Barstow didn’t have an answer for Da’lon Thompson, a sophomore who ran for 140 yards on 17 carries. Lancaster lost 27-16 to Sultana last week.

Rialto (0-1) at Victor Valley (1-0), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Victor Valley -26.8, Rialto -29.7

Game notes: The Jackrabbits kicked off the season with a 20-14 victory over Montclair. Victor Villa, a sophomore, took 19 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown in his first varsity start. He also scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. Rialto is coming off a 23-7 loss to Patriot last week.

Riverside Prep (0-1) at Pacific (0-1), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Riverside Prep -63.1, Pacific -71.4

Game notes: The Silver Knights lost 33-14 in their season opener against Bosco Tech last week, while Pacific was shut out 48-0 by West Valley.

Hesperia Christian (0-0) at Mammoth (0-1), 6 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Hesperia Christian 46.2, Mammoth 33.6

Saturday

ACE (0-0) at Calvary Baptist (0-0), 5 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: ACE -37.4, Calvary Baptist -30.7

Desert Chapel (0-0) at Silver Valley (0-0), 7 p.m.

CalPreps.com ratings: Silver Valley -64.9, Desert Chapel -29.4

Daily Press reporter Jose Quintero may be reached at 760-951-6274 or JQuintero@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @J0seQuintero.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hesperia hosts Adelanto after impressive victories to start the season