DESERT ROUNDUP: HIGHLAND SEIZES GOLDEN COMMAND.

Byline: Daily News

Highland played ball control, and it worked well enough to put the Bulldogs into first place in the Golden League.

Host Highland kept the Lobos' offense off the field, running 73 plays to 37 for No. 7 Littlerock and winning 40-14 Friday night.

The Bulldogs (4-3, 2-0) had a balanced running attack, with Kevin Morris gaining 123 yards on 19 carries, Tyrone Brown 76 on 15 carries and Josh Mejia 74 on 12 carries. That trio combined for four touchdowns.

Littlerock (5-2, 1-1) standout Rodney Woods, who entered Friday's game 106 yards short of reaching 1,000 for the season, was limited to 20 attempts for 63 yards.

Woods ran 4 yards for a touchdown to cut Highland's lead to 9-6 early in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs responded with a nine-play, 56-yard scoring drive capped by a 5-yard run by quarterback Jeremey White.

The game was delayed for almost 25 minutes when Highland defensive lineman John Tanner broke his right leg with 8:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.

- Chris Cocoles

Antelope Valley 34, Quartz Hill 7: Dmetre Booker rushed for 168 yards and one touchdown as the Antelopes won their third straight game and stayed unbeaten in the Golden League with an easy win at Quartz Hill.

Jermaine Norman quieted the homecoming crowd early for Antelope Valley (3-4, 2-0) with a 27-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Norman added a 1-yard score early in the second period to give the Antelopes a 14-0 lead.

Quartz Hill (2-5, 0-2) scored its only touchdown on an 8-yard pass from Jeff Williams to Justin Waasdorp with 6:18 left in the first half. Three personal fouls on Antelope Valley helped the drive.

Booker, who threw a school-record five touchdown passes last week, kept to the ground, carrying the ball 17 times while only completing 2 of 8 passes for 63 yards.

John Molock closed out the scoring for the Antelopes with two touchdowns in the third quarter. Molock finished with 56 yards rushing and Norman contributed 65 yards.

- Bob Timmermann

Lancaster 28, Palmdale 8: Tony Ortiz intercepted three Mike Johnson passes, and Lancaster (2-5, 1-1) picked off five total in its first Golden League victory. Palmdale (1-6, 0-2) has lost all four of its home games this season.

The Eagles intercepted quarterback Mike Johnson twice, both resulting in scores. Dustin Stowe ran in from 5 yards out, and Ortiz ran in from 17 yards out for a 14-0 first-quarter lead.

Palmdale seized some momentum in the second half after stopping Lancaster on its first drive and a Jamil Smith 7-yard touchdown run to trim the lead to 14-8.

However, the Eagles put away the game in the fourth quarter on Billy Mosley's 66-yard scoring run to seal the victory. Mosley finished with 70 yards in two carries.

Anthony Diggs led Palmdale with 67 yards rushing. Johnson passed for 115 yards.

- John Sanders

Boron 14, Lucerne Valley 0: Clifton Bowers rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, all in the second half, in the Bobcats' Desert Mountain League victory at Lucerne Valley.

After a scoreless first half, Boron (3-4, 1-0) drove 64 yards late in the third quarter, capped by quarterback Nathan Davis' 1-yard run.

The Bobcats used a seven-minute, 15-play, 76-yard drive in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Bowers rambled the final 17 yards for the score.

Boron held Lucerne Valley to 78 yards total offense.

Rosamond 41, Frazier Mt. 21: Rosamond improved to 7-0 with a strong win against undermanned Frazier Mountain (0-7).

After first-possession turnovers by both teams, Rosamond's offense needed just two plays to score its first touchdown, a 15-yard run by Teddy Monroe.

Rosamond's Corey Allred completed 11 of 12 passes for 244 yards, including touchdowns of 55, 40, and 23 yards. Two of the three touchdown passes were to Mike Williams, who caught five passes total for 129 yards.

The Roadrunners dominated Frazier Mt. on both sides of the ball, intercepting quarterback Dustin Hallam three times. Hallam finished 11 of 36 for 152 yards and two touchdowns.

- Doug Yocum