SIMI VALLEY – Brice Hawkins scored the game-winning touchdown for the Simi Valley football team on a 10-yard run with a little bit over a minute left to play, lifting Simi Valley to a 35-28 win over Bishop Diego Friday and keeping its unbeaten record (8-0) intact.
Hawkins led the way for the Pioneers offensively, running the ball 20 times for 154 yards and four touchdowns. One of Hawkins’ scores also came on a 75-yard kick return in the first half.
“It feels good to be 8-0. We worked really hard to do well this game, and my o-line put in the work all practice,” Hawkins said. “The goal is to beat all the private schools and that’s what we’ve done so far, but Bishop put a big fight up.”
The one remaining private school on Simi’s schedule is Oaks Christian in the last game of the season. Oaks is also 3-0 in league play, like Simi Valley, and if both teams are able to get through their opponents next week it would set up a winner-takes-all game for the Marmonte League title in the final game of the season.
Following the final Hawkins score, Bishop Diego was unable to score and Tua Rojas threw an interception to Simi leading tackler Jayden Graham on the final play to clinch the game for the Pioneers.
“Our team has worked hard all season. We’ve been working hard since last season,” Graham said. “Last year we had a heartbreaking loss to Bishop Diego and this year it feels great to finally beat them.”
Hawkins scored three of his four touchdowns in the first half to help Simi take a 28-14 halftime lead. Simi’s first score of the game came on a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tagg Harrison to August Gibbs to tie the game at 7-7 at the time.
Bishop Diego tied the game at 14-14 late in the second quarter when Rojas found Jaison Lotu on a 1-yard touchdown pass. Running back Oscar Mauia also had a touchdown run in the first quarter for the Cardinals and helped control the time of possession for Bishop Diego throughout most of the game.
Hawkins scored twice in the final three minutes of the first half on a 75-yard kick return following the Lotu score and a 3-yard run in the final moments of the half.
In the third quarter the Simi offense struggled to get going. Harrison threw an interception in the quarter to Sam Crawford and the Bishop defense did a better job of tackling Hawkins in space. Rojas threw his second touchdown pass of the night late in the third when he found Isaiah Kitt for a 73-yard score to make it 28-21 Simi at the time.
Early in the fourth, John Michael Flint had an interception for Bishop that set them up at midfield. Seven plays later, Lotu scored his second touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run to tie the game at 28.
The final scoring drive for Simi spanned 10 plays and almost five minutes before Hawkins scored the game winner.
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“I’m really proud of our players and how they responded to adversity tonight,” Simi coach Jim Benkert said. “In the first half we didn’t get the ball much but every time we touched it we put it in the end zone and in the second half when the offense was sputtering the defense came through, it was a full team effort tonight.”
Mauia finished the game with 24 carries for 155 yards and one touchdown for Bishop Diego. Rojas completed 16 of 32 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for the Cardinals.
Simi Valley will take on Pacifica of Oxnard next week. Bishop Diego will look to bounce back when they host St. Bonaventure.