LA VERNE — After a 3-0 start to the season and being ranked as the undisputed No. 1 team in the area, Damien cooled off with back-to-back losses. The Spartans bounced back Friday night in a big way against Etiwanda in their Baseline League opener. Damien quarterback Isaiah Arriaza threw for more than 150 yards and accounted for three touchdowns as he led the Spartans to a 45-10 victory over Etiwanda on Damien’s homecoming night. Damien head coach James Stewart was honest about the way he felt after the win. “The way that prior seasons had finished, with us getting knocked out of the playoffs (by Etiwanda) in 2022, and (Etiwanda) costing us a share of the league championship last year, it felt good to get this one under our belt,” Stewart said Etiwanda (2-3-1, 0-1) started the game by returning the opening kickoff to the Damien 30-yard line, but the Spartans (4-2, 1-0) came up with a turnover just three plays into the game. Damien two-way standout Gavin Williams forced a fumble and Jacoby Roseli recovered, giving the Spartans the ball back deep in their own territory. Despite two consecutive losses, the Damien offense looked like it hadn’t skipped a beat as Arriaza stretched the field with Williams for a big gain. A few plays later, Williams caught Arriaza’s only touchdown pass of the game, a 39-yard connection to give the Spartans the early 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Stewart said the Spartans got shocked to start the game but quickly settled in. “They got kinda moving, we were a little bit on our heels … (we) slowed down the momentum and our offense took over,” Stewart said The Spartans used a quick 14-yard rushing touchdown by James Taylor early in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead. After Damien linebacker Declan Becher recorded his second sack of the game on Etiwanda quarterback Keegan Campuzano for a big loss, the Eagles had to punt from near their own end zone. Arriaza used the great field position to score the first of two rushing touchdowns from 14 yards out just a few plays later. Damien’s Malachi McFarland, a running back transfer from St. John Bosco who sat out the first six weeks, scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cap a 21-point second quarter as Damien went into halftime with a 28-3 lead. Arriaza needed less than a minute out of the half to give Damien another touchdown, scampering in from 11 yards out to give the Spartans a 32-point lead with 11:13 left in the third quarter. Spartans linebacker and senior captain Caden Arellano joined in on the fun, stringing together back-to-back sacks as Damien defense was unrelenting despite the huge lead. “We’re never gonna take it easy on anybody … it’s what we do,” Arellano said, grinning from ear to ear. Related Articles High School Sports | High school football: Top photos from Friday’s biggest games, Oct. 4 High School Sports | High school football: Live score updates, highlights from Friday night’s games High School Sports | Murrieta Valley football team holds firm despite Norco rally in second half High School Sports | High school football: Scores from the Week 6 games Thursday, Oct. 3 High School Sports | Bloomington football team runs past Arroyo Valley in Skyline League opener To put the cherry on top, after Damien had backed Etiwanda up near its own goal line, the Spartans blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown for a 42-3 lead less than four minutes into the third quarter. Stewart said the dominating effort proved to him what he knew. “Our guys are resilient, they’ve been through a lot, and through that adversity it forged the team,” he said. Damien will travel to Upland next week in a matchup that could have league championship implications.