Demetrius Alloway found a cutback lane and slipped into the end zone from six yards out to give Chino its first lead of the game with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter.

The late touchdown was too much for the San Marcos to overcome as the Royals lost their CIF-SS Division 10 first-round game, 14-13, Friday night at Warkentin Stadium.

“I am proud of our efforts. “There’s no doubt we fought,” San Marcos coach Ralph Molina said. “We knew these guys were going to be good. We knew there was no way this was going to be a team at 15 seeds.

Both teams scored touchdowns on their first drives of the game, but from that point on it was a defensive slugfest.

The Royals took the opening kickoff and drove 68 yards in seven plays. The key play of the drive was a 28-yard run by Nate Jones on 4th and 2 from the San Marcos 40-yard line. Three plays later, Danny Diaz connected with Anthony Obispo on a screen pass that opened up for a 35-yard touchdown.

Not to be outdone, the Cowboys put together a methodical 14-play, 85-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Maximus Barroso that tied the score at 14-14.

Chino looked poised to take the lead just before halftime, but a Cole Dominguez interception deep in San Marcos territory with 23 seconds left in the second quarter kept the two teams tied at the break .

After a series of punts, San Marcos finally regained the lead, 10-7, with five seconds remaining in the third quarter thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Austin Downey.

A Jones interception ended Chino’s ensuing possession and put San Marcos with excellent field position at the Cowboys’ 38-yard line. The Royals advanced to the seven-yard line, but a Diaz pass to Quinn Donnell on third down was incomplete and the Royals settled for a 24-yard field goal by Downey with 6:20 remaining.

“It was one of those things, do we take the points or do we try to go out there and try to get a touchdown out of it,” Molina said. “We got to the basket and I was hoping our defense would be able to stop them.”

Based on the pace of the game, it was clear that Chino would only have one legitimate chance to take the lead and the Cowboys seized the opportunity. Chino rushed for 66 yards on ten straight carries to set up Alloway’s touchdown with 1:13 remaining.

The Royals had another chance to keep their season alive, but Diaz’s third pass was intercepted to clinch the victory for Chino.

San Marcos finished the season with a 6-4-1 record. Chino will advance to a second-round match against Silverado of Victorville.

San Marcos’ 27 seniors created an impressive legacy as the first San Marcos team to make the playoffs since 2005.

Dos Pueblos, 35 years old; Crescenta Valley 27

The Chargers survived and advanced in their first playoff game. Senior running back Kaleb Williams scored four touchdowns to lead the Chargers to victory.