Upland High School football looking forward to next season
UPLAND, Calif. — The Upland High School Highlanders are coming off a season that saw them make a surprising playoff run.
The Highlanders went 6-6 with a 2-2 record in league games this season. They had a young team with only 13 seniors but played well nonetheless. I asked head coach Darryl Thomas what he thought about his team’s season.
“I was pleased,” he said. “We were young this year. We only had one senior on offense.”
Upland’s season started well with a 13-0 win at La Habra High School. Upland quarterback Sean York did not do too much. He threw for 45 yards on 5-11 passing. He also threw one interception and rushed for one touchdown. Junior running back Rickey Allen was the real offensive star that game. He rushed for 111 yards on 22 carries. On defense, sophomore Apisai Matelai had a tremendous game. He had 2.5 sacks and five tackles.
Even though Upland started the season strong, things began to go downhill from there. They lost their next three games by a combined 74 points. One of those losses was a crushing 47-0 defeat versus Vista Murrieta High School.
Upland finished their non-league schedule on a high note. They beat Aquinas 7-6 and Adelanto 50-6. York threw for three touchdowns on only five completions. Junior Reon Dean and sophomore Ke’vionn Lomax also each rushed for one touchdown.
The Highlanders used the momentum from their two-game winning streak and turned it into a four-game winning streak. They beat league rivals Chino Hills 34-21 and Damien 27-22. Their defense came up big against Chino Hills with three interceptions. In the Damien game, running back Alphonso Conley and York each rushed for two touchdowns.
Everything was looking up for the Highlanders, but their next two games did not turn out so well. First, they were crushed at home against Rancho Cucamonga 34-7 and then lost by one score, 21-13, to eventual league champion Etiwanda. They fought hard until the end against Etiwanda but could not pull out the victory.
Upland played well enough to make the playoffs and beat St. Paul 24-13 in the first round. Conley and Allen could not be stopped that game. Conley rushed for three touchdowns on eight carries, and Allen rushed for 184 yards on 35 carries.
Unfortunately, Upland’s playoff run ended the following week. They lost to Long Beach Poly 49-3. Long Beach Poly went on to win the Division 4 CIF Southern Section football playoffs.
Coach Thomas has high expectations for next season. His team will be a lot more experienced and looking to improve on their previous season. He kept it simple when I asked him about next season.
“We are expecting more wins,” Thomas said.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.