Los Alamitos upsets No. 1 Murrieta Valley in California high school football semifinal game: Live updates recap

After trailing 10-0 after the 1st quarter, Griffins score 23 straight to move to CIF-SS D2 finals

Los Alamitos running back Lenny Ibarra carries the ball against San Juan Hills last week in a 35-10 victory. / Jeremy Westerbeck

Murrieta Valley is one win away from returning to the state finals.

Last year, the Nighthawks lost 31-28 to Newbury Park D2 Championship. Now, with a 9-3 mark, Murrieta Valley is close to getting back and a chance for redemption with a semifinal showdown on Friday night. 

Standing in the way is Los Alamitos, which enters a 10-2 mark. 

The two teams met last year in the quarterfinals, but Bear Bachmeier — the current BYU quarterback — guided the Nighthawks to a win.

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What to know?

Murrieta Valley has defeated Corona Del Mar, 35-14, in the first round and then knocked off Rancho Cucamonga, 26-6, last week.

Los Alamitos' path was a 35-28 win over Yorba Linda in the first round and a 35-10 win over No. 4-ranked San Juan Hills last week. After an 8-0 start, the Griffins dropped two straight. 

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Who to know? 

This game will have several Division I commits. Here’s a breakdown of who may stand out on Friday night:

Murrieta Valley 

WR/CB Derrick Johnson II, sr. — An Oklahoma pledge. He has 16 catches for 418 yards and 8 TDs. He has two picks and 3 PBU on defense. 

WR Kayden Borden, jr. — He’s the top receiver in terms of catches (25) and yards (648) and has six touchdowns 

QB Ty Isaia, so. — He’s accounted for 22 TDs. He’s run for 3 and passed for 19. He’s thrown for 1,640 yards. Holds offers from Purdue and Ole Miss.

RB Jeremiah Watson, sr. — He has 1,429 yards and 21 scores. He has 7 games of 100 yards or more. 

LB Joseph Rodriguez, sr. — leads the team with 121 tackles. Also has 11 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble

CB Mekhi Cross, sr. — Leads the team with 3 interceptions. 

CB Darius Johnson, jr.— He’s a 3-star recruit with 16 offers 

OT Elisha Faamatuainu, sr. — The California pledge is a 3-star recruit 

Los Alamitos 

RB/LB Lenny Ibarra, sr. — He’s an Army pledge. 

TE Beckham Hofland, sr. — The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder is a Boise State pledge.

QB Colin Creason, sr. — He’s a transfer from Long Beach Poly, who had to sit last year. 

WR Kamden Tillis, jr. — 5-foot-10 target holds 4 Division I offers

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Pick 'Em Challenge

Tell us who you think will win the game with High School On SI's Pick 'Em Challenge

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How to watch

Watch on NFHS 

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No. 1 Murrieta Valley vs. Los Alamitos: Live updates from California high school football D2 semifinal game

Refresh for the latest update.

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	FINAL
Los Al	0	6	14	3	23
MV	10	0	0	0	10

LIVE UPDATES

MV gets the ball first

Nighthawks have to punt; Los Al ball

Turnover on downs by Los Al. MV ball with 9 minutes to go

TOUCHDOWN! Isaia with a 10-yard TD run with 7 minutes to go. Murrieta Valley 7, Los Al 0

Two long runs by Jacob Taddi for MV.

FIELD GOAL! Jack Cambray with a 25-yard FG for the Nighthawks. Murrieta Valley 10, Los Al 0 22.5 seconds left

End of 1st: MV 10, Los Al 0

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2nd quarter

On 3rd and short, Ibarra converts for a first down. The Griffins are driving

Creason keeps it and is stopped behind the line.

4th and 2 coming up with 3:51 left

Ibarra converts and the Griffins keep driving. Inside the MV 40-yard line now

30-yard run by Ibarra and the ball at the 2

TOUCHDOWN! Creason for 5 yards. Murrieta Valley 10, Los Al 6. PAT fails

Murrieta Valley runs back kickoff return but a penalty negates it

Nighthawks call a timeout with 22.3 seconds left. Ball at the 50

MV converts on a 4th and 4th. Borden with the catch. Teh ball a the Los Al 38. 13 seconds left

Long pass near the end zone falls in complete for MV.

End of 2nd: Murrieta Valley 10, Los Alamitos 6

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3rd quarter

Griffins are driving early in the second half

Touchdown! 7:39 Kamden Tillis for the Griffins from 1 yard out. Extra point is good. Los Al 13, Murrieta Valley 10.

A bad snap on a punt looks almost disasterous but the Murrieta Valley punter scrambles, picks it it up in the end zone and throws the ball 25 yards. The play got tot he 44-yard line, but it was not enough for an impromptu first down.

The Griffins turn the turnover on downs into a touchdown with 3:05 to play by Ibarra. Los Al 20, Murrieta Valley 10

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4th quarter

FIELD GOAL: 31-yard kick by Beckham Hofland is good. Los Al extends the lead with 7:14 to play. Los Al 23, Murrieta Valley 10

It was once 10-0; crazy swing in this game

Marco Alvillar with an INT for Los Al.

Turnover on downs with 1:14 left to play. Los Al ball. That's it

Final: Los Alamitos 23, Murrieta Valley 10