Antelope Valley Upsets Dominguez

Antelope Valley High thought it had ended USC-bound quarterback Jason Thomas’ high school football career eight weeks ago.

Now, the Antelopes are sure of it.

Antelope Valley upset second-seeded Dominguez, 28-25, on Friday night in a Southern Section Division II quarterfinal at Mays Field in Lancaster, withstanding a furious rally led by the All-American senior, who had broken his left ankle against the Antelopes two months ago.

“This is a game I will remember for the rest of my life,� said Antelope Valley receiver Joe Manning, who caught touchdown passes of 36 and 12 yards from quarterback Justin Mobley.

Antelope Valley (8-3) advances to its fifth consecutive division semifinal next week, when it plays third-seeded Ayala, which beat Hawthorne, 20-17.

The victory was improbable. The defending division champion Dons (10-2) had won 24 of their last 25 games, including three victories over Antelope Valley in the last 13 months.

“We kept telling everyone to expect to win, to have confidence,� Coach Brent Newcomb said. “We’ve had some very big wins here, but this might be one of the biggest.�