TEMECULA – Great Oak High’s Reagan Ricken tapped into his baseball prowess to deliver a perfect pitch that lifted the Wolfpack to a 28-22 victory Friday night against city rival Temecula Valley. The 6-foot-5 senior quarterback, who is committed to play baseball at Louisiana State, had already thrown touchdown passes of 47 and 77 yards to speedy receiver Mikey Vazquez. But it was a 5-yard flick to Kyle Fritzoni for a touchdown with 9:08 to play in the game that gave Great Oak the cushion it needed to improve its playoff resume with a 3-1 record in the Big West Conference-South Division and 4-5 overall. Ricken, who boasts a 1.17 earned-run average in 15 career appearances for the Wolfpack, showcased his pitching precision, completing 13 of 17 passes for 259 yards despite a fierce pass rush. He was sacked three times for 31 yards in losses. On third-and-goal from the 5 with Great Oak leading 21-15, Ricken, hobbling on a wounded right knee, eluded the Golden Bears’ pass rush and started to dash to the end zone. But he saw Fritzoni come open and tossed him the ball like a loaf of bread for an insurance touchdown and a 28-15 lead. “I saw a hole and I tried to step up a little bit. Then I saw my guy and just flipped it. I wasn’t trying to get hit again,” said Ricken with grin as he was getting treatment for his numb leg after the game. “He is such an amazing athlete,” Great Oak coach Herschel Ramirez said. “He does a lot of great things on the pitching mound, but for us it’s his grit and competitiveness. And as he goes, we go.” Temecula Valley rallied with an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Crew Allen took advantage of a blown pass coverage for a 38-yard touchdown reception from Ramese Rivera with 6:03 to play to trim the lead to 28-22. Great Oak, aided by Vazquez’s 41-yard catch against his helmet and a tough 4-yard run by Ryder Smith, would run out the clock. Great Oak wraps up conference play at home Friday against Riverside King. Temecula Valley will travel to play Corona. Although Friday’s loss drops Temecula Valley to 2-2 in conference play and 4-5 overall, coach John Bonaventura pointed to improvements his squad has made over the course of the season. Rivera, who struggled earlier in the season, kept the Golden Bears close Friday, completing 14 of 25 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. “These kids have learned. They’ve grown a lot,” Bonaventura said. “We had a big senior class last year and a lot of this group did not get varsity reps. It took them about four or five games to get that varsity experience. “Now it’s clicking. They’re getting the offense. They’re understanding where we need to be. They’re working harder. And now that they’re starting to see success, they’re taking things more seriously. They see the dividends in the process.” Rivera’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Jake Cella with 1 minute remaining in the half cut Great Oak’s lead to 21-15 at the intermission. Cris Scott opened the scoring for Great Oak with a 9-yard run in the first quarter. Temecula Valley tied the score when Rivera hit running back Gabriel Lawrence on a wheel route for a 53-yard touchdown. The Golden Bears took a 9-7 lead on the next series when Great Oak’s center snap from punt formation sailed out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 9-7 Temecula Valley lead. But the Wolfpack alertly pounced on the free-kick punt after the safety when Temecula Valley did not cover the kick. Mason Hines recovered the ball at the Temecula Valley 46. On third-and-11, Ricken tossed a short pass to Vazquez, who juked three defenders and then sprinted 47 yards for a score that restored Great Oak’s lead. Related Articles High School Sports | Centennial football coach Matt Logan becomes Inland Empire’s winningest coach with victory over Norco High School Sports | Summit shuts out Jurupa Hills as Mark Mitchell III scores 4 TDs High School Sports | Colton football outlasts Carter, earns share of Skyline League title High School Sports | IE Varsity’s Week 9 high school football scoreboard High School Sports | Artyon Celestine’s 3 TDs lead Murrieta Mesa past King On the next series, Ricken and Vazquez hooked up on a streak route up the left sideline for a 77-yard touchdown. Vazquez praised Ricken for an alert pre-snap read and changing his route, allowing Vazquez to outrun the defender immediately at the snap. “He checked into the play. He saw I was going to be one-on-one with no safety. I was supposed to run a slant. He called a ‘go’ route, and I took off,” said Vazquez, who caught four passes for 188 yards.