GARDEN GROVE — Los Amigos football coach Melo Guess said his team entered Thursday’s contest against Bolsa Grande with a “must-win” approach.

The Lobos delivered with a resounding 46-14 victory over the Matadors in a Garden Grove League game at Bolsa Grande High.

“We didn’t want to leave anything to chance next week (against Santiago),” Guess said. “We wanted to capitalize on this week, continue to get better and give ourselves a shot.”

Los Amigos (5-4 overall) is 3-1 in league and still has a chance to earn a share of the league title. La Quinta is in first place at 3-0, and Rancho Alamitos (2-1 in league) is also in the title picture. The top three teams in the league standings will advance to the CIF-SS playoffs.

“We would love a league title, we would love to share that deal or however it works itself out,” Guess added, “but playoffs is a big deal for us. CIF is our dream, trying to make a state run, and we’re in a good position to make all those things happen.”

La Quinta has an important game against Rancho Alamitos on Friday, Oct. 20. A win by the Vaqueros could help the Lobos claim a share of the league title, which would give them back-to-back titles.

“Tomorrow we’re hoping (for some help) and we’ll be rooting for those dudes,” Guess said, referring to Rancho Alamitos. “We’ll have our green and gold on tomorrow, for sure.”

Los Amigos quarterback Maysen Navarro ran for 145 yards and a touchdown Thursday, and running back Pedro Hernandez rushed for 102 and two TDs.

The Lobos ran for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns as a team. Raul Cruz added a pair of scores and Isaac Galindo added a rushing touchdown.

Los Amigos rattled off 39 consecutive points after falling behind 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The game started with a frenetic pace and both teams scored on its first two possessions.

Matadors quarterback Ethan Nguyen found Joseph Sangenito for a 5-yard TD pass to open the scoring, then Hernandez tied the game for Los amigos with a 6-yard TD run.

Bolsa Grande (5-4, 2-2) took a 14-7 lead on an Eddie Zarate reverse, which came on fourth-down from the Lobos 26, but it would not get on the scoreboard again.

Loa Amigos took a 15-14 lead after Cruz scored and the Lobos converted a 2-point conversion.

Ethan Nguyen fumbled near midfield after a nice run on the Matadors next possession and Los Amigos took advantage as Galindo’s touchdown run on the Lobos next drive made it 23-14 after another 2-point conversion.

Los Amigos picked off Nguyen just before halftime to end a potential scoring chance by Bolsa Grande.

Matadors coach Michael Acosta believes the team’s goal of ending the season with a winning record is still attainable. The Matadors will face La Quinta in their season finale Friday, Oct. 27.

“The main goal is finishing with a winning record for the season, first time since 1987,” Acosta said, “so it’s still the goal, still attainable. Playoffs will work itself out if we take care of business next week, it will work itself out.”

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