MORENO VALLEY — Facing fourth-and-18 with the game on the line, Riverside Poly quarterback Victor Aguilar completed a 28-yard pass to running back Nick Palomares. “I told my DB, ‘watch for the running back,’” said Valley View coach Eric Martinez. “We’ve given up those leak outs all the time, so I knew it was coming.” Coach’s advice gone unfollowed, the Eagles’ defense gave the Bears a renewed chance to make up a 7-point deficit in the final two minutes of the night. Yet there would be only one miracle conversion for the Riverside Poly football team as it lost on the road to Valley View 35-28, failing to find the end zone to extend Thursday’s game. Entering the fourth quarter tied at 28, quarterback Jesse Vega and the Eagles’ offense chewed nearly 10 minutes off the clock on the go-ahead scoring drive before their defense hunkered down to secure the Sunbelt League win. “I just knew they couldn’t stop me,” Vega said. “We wanted to take time off, so they had a little bit of time to score left. Clock management came in big and helped us put the game away.” Vega gained 36 of his 99 total rushing yards on that possession, finishing the series with a sneak to score the winning touchdown. With 2:08 left after the ensuing kickoff, Poly (2-7 overall, 1-3 in league) had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime, but ultimately came up short when Aguilar couldn’t find a man downfield on the evening’s final play. “We fought at the end. We shot ourselves in the foot early. You got to play four quarters of good football,” said Poly coach Jarron Gilbert. Entering the third quarter with the game tied, the Bears took a 21-14 lead following an efficient 72-yard drive, capped off by a 12-yard touchdown carry from Aguilar himself. The Eagles responded on three plays – a pair of quarterback runs followed by a 67-yard touchdown pass from Vega to wide receiver Alex Ramirez for their second 60-plus yard connection. After forcing a three-and-out, Valley View (5-4, 2-2) continued to press the advantage as Vega found wide receiver Kyle Winston deep down field, this time for a 68-yard score to put his team up 28-21 near the end of the third quarter. Related Articles High School Sports | Vista Murrieta freshman golfer Fay Jia claims Southwestern League individual title High School Sports | Exzavior Oliver lifts Grand Terrace football team to victory over San Gorgonio High School Sports | Brandon Rivers helps Cajon football team run past Citrus Valley High School Sports | IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section playoff scoreboard for Thursday, Oct. 24 High School Sports | Legend among legends, Centennial football coach Matt Logan on the cusp of surpassing them all Poly wide receiver Matt Henry was undeterred by the quick onslaught from Valley View, though, as he promptly returned the kickoff for a touchdown to tie the game, matching Tionne Billups’ kick return touchdown that had tied the game in the second quarter. Yet the special teams efforts were to no avail, as the Eagles’ secured the win in the fourth quarter. With the victory, Valley View stays alive in its hunt for the playoffs. “This was a must-win for us. Obviously, now, puts us pretty much in the driver’s seat. We control our fate,” Martinez said. “The key thing is just getting in. Once you get in, it’s a different ballgame.”