VALLEY CENTER — The mistakes added up fast and eventually took their toll.

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Valley View quarterback Jesse Vega (1) breaks free from a Valley Center defender during the first quarterr at Valley Center High School on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Valley View plays at Valley Center in the CIF State Division 6AA football regional bowl game. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

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The Valley View football team grabbed a double-digit lead in the opening quarter Friday night, but penalties and turnovers during the second half proved costly as the Eagles dropped a 30-19 decision to Valley Center in a CIF State Division 6-AA regional final.

“We shot ourselves in the foot quite a bit tonight,” Valley View coach Eric Martinez said. “It comes down to preparation, and I’m not sure we were completely ready to play today. I wish we could have finished on a better note, but it still was a great season.”

Valley View (9-6) got off on the right foot Friday. The Eagles received the opening kickoff and marched 66 yards in 6 minutes to take the early advantage. Jesse Vega capped the 11-play scoring drive when he fired a 6-yard touchdown pass to Alex Ramirez.

Valley Center (8-6) looked for an immediate response, and Braylon Edwards completed passes for 11, 17 and 25 yards to move the Jaguars into the red zone. But that possession came to abrupt end when Joey Ward stripped the ball from Edwards’ hands and Mychael Johnson picked up the loose ball and returned it to midfield. Valley View cashed about 4 minutes later when Vega found Damien Randin for a 14-yard touchdown that extended the Eagles’ lead to 13-0 with 25 seconds left in the opening period.

“It definitely was a great start, but we just had trouble sustaining that kind of momentum throughout the game,” Martinez said.

Valley Center needed only 67 seconds to come up with an answer. Edwards rifled a short pass to Jesse Morales, who shook off his defender and turned the play into a 62-yard touchdown. The duo connected again on the conversion to cut the deficit to 13-8.

Valley View had trouble running the ball Friday, but the aerial attack was in peak form early. Six plays after Johnson returned a kickoff 30 yards to midfield, Randin made an adjustment in the end zone and hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Vega.

Randin, a sophomore, finished with a game-high nine receptions for 111 yards and his eighth and ninth touchdowns of the year.

“There have been games we knew we could just run the ball on the other team,” Randin said. “When we watched some film on (Valley Center), we saw some weaknesses in their secondary. So, we decided to go out and attack through the air right away.”

Valley Center used another big offensive play — a 44-yard run from Joeisha Tirado – to cut the deficit to 19-16 before halftime.

Valley View’s defense forced another turnover to open the second half, with Johnson ripping the ball away from Valley Center receiver Gauge Wright and Bronson Pulu falling on the fumble. But the Eagles were unable to convert that turnover into points.

Valley Center took a 23-19 lead when Tirado scored for the second time, a 12-yard touchdown with 6:48 left in the third period.

And that’s when thing started to spiral out of control for the Eagles.

Valley View was flagged for four penalties on the ensuing drive, one that ended with Vega being intercepted by Joaquin Stehly. Valley Center capitalized and extended its lead when Edwards tossed a 15-yard touchdown to Wright late in the third quarter.

Vega completed a long pass to Randin on fourth-and-7 early in the fourth period, but the play was wiped out when the Eagles were called for a block below the waist. Vega took a hard shot on the play, one that eventually sidelined him down the stretch.

Michael Nuno took over for Vega and completed 6 of 8 passes for 59 yards in the fourth quarter. But Valley View’s hopes for a dramatic comeback came to an end when Cooper Chaney intercepted Nuno with a little less than 2 minutes left on the clock.

Johnson was a standout for Valley View, forcing one fumble and recovering another while racking more than 100 return yards.

“I’m just doing whatever I need to do to let my teammates know they’re not in this alone,” said Johnson, a senior linebacker and running back. “We wouldn’t be here without the bonds and trust we have in each other, and that has carried us all season long.”

Vega completed 16 of 24 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns and also led the Eagles with 40 yards on nine carries.

Edwards threw for 221 yards on 12-of-15 passing to lead the way for Valley Center, which will take on San Jose Lincoln for the Division 6-AA state title next Friday. Tirado rushed for 126 yards on 16 carries, and Morales caught five passes for 119 yards.


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