RIVERSIDE — All Artyon Celestine needed was a chance. Celestine, who transferred from Vista Murrieta before the season, had two touchdown receptions and ran for another score as Murrieta Mesa defeated Riverside King 28-13 in a Big West Lower League showdown Friday night. “I transferred to get an opportunity,” said Celestine, who has 886 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season. “There was no playing time over at Vista so I came here to get an opportunity and to try to make a name for myself.” A week after rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns in a 70-0 win over Corona, the 5-foot-7 senior running back gained 152 yards on 13 carries and had four catches for 47 yards. “When you have a 4.4 running back who doesn’t need a lot of space, all he needs is a crease,” Murrieta Mesa head coach Oscar McBride said. “He hits the hole at 100 miles per hour so it’s no surprise to anybody when he comes out running.” Isaiah Casillas had two sacks and Daniel Ritchie had an interception and added a rushing touchdown for Mesa (5-4 overall, 4-0 Big West Lower), which is one win away from its first outright league title. “We’ve come a long way,” Celestine said. “Coach McBride has got us right and now we’re about to make history.” A CIF-Southern Section Division 6 semifinalist last year, Mesa finished 0-9 just three seasons ago. “These guys have worked so hard that (a league title) is going to mean the world to them,” McBride said. “To be a part of the transition, development and growth of a program is just cool.” Noah Cuenca was intercepted three times as King (6-3, 2-2) lost its second consecutive game after falling 24-23 to Temecula Valley in Week 8. “(Mesa) is tough defensively and we’re disappointed that we couldn’t handle the pressure,” King head coach Jason McMains said. “We threw everything out there that we could.” Mesa received the opening kickoff and used eight plays to take the lead as Trey Gamble hit Celestine in the flat for a touchdown less than 3 minutes into the game. Gamble kept King’s defense off balance with a 16-play, nearly 9-minute scoring drive in the second quarter, completing 3 of 5 pass attempts before Ritchie barreled over the goal line for a 14-0 lead. Taking one more chance upfield before halftime, Gamble threw into double coverage and was intercepted by Ryker Galvan, who returned it 60 yards for a score as time expired. “Ryker has been a playmaker all year for us,” McMains said. “That was huge for us and we felt good going into the second half, but I’ll have to look at the film and see what went wrong.” King turned the ball over twice on its half of the field in the third quarter, and Mesa added to its lead early in the fourth as Gamble and Celestine connected in the flat for a second touchdown. “Fortunately, it was there for us tonight and we were able to get it in there twice,” Celestine said. Related Articles High School Sports | Yucaipa and Murrieta Valley boys water polo teams get favorable CIF Southern Section playoff draws High School Sports | IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section playoff schedule for Saturday, Oct. 26 High School Sports | Miller girls volleyball team rallies past Norte Vista, scores program’s first playoff win 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 The Wolves’ next possession ended with a punt, and on first down Celestine squeezed through a seam and went 73 yards for a 28-6 lead. Cuenca (17 of 29 passi g) was pummeled in the second half but managed to find Brian Robinson on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 56-yard touchdown to keep the Wolves’ offense from getting shut out. King, held to minus-14 yards rushing, plays at Great Oak to end the regular season.