Santa Clarita, CA — After giving the ball away for much of the first half, the Rio Mesa High football team played keepaway in the fourth quarter Friday night at Santa Clarita-Golden Valley High. Sophomore J’lin Wingo recovered Matthew Romero’s pooch kick midway through the fourth quarter as the Spartans climbed out of a 19-point halftime hole to deliver their first win of the season. Shilo Tili had two touchdown runs and Augie Calderon hit Sal Maria for a 69-yard scoring strike as Rio Mesa scored the final 20 points of a 20-19 win on the road. “We stopped turning the ball over,” said Rio Mesa coach Jim Bittner, whose team turned the ball over five times in the first half. “We played pretty uncharacteristically.” Maria provided the spark, taking a pass from junior Augie Calderon and weaving through the defense for a 69-yard catch and run, pulling Rio Mesa within 19-13 in the fourth quarter. Four plays after Wingo recovered the subsequent kickoff on the Golden Valley 30-yard line, Tili tied the game with a 3-yard TD run. Romero followed with the game-deciding PAT. Great Win for the Spartans. Rio hosts Buena next week at home🏈