Buonantony goes on fling

J.D. Buonantony saved his best game for the right moment.

Western's senior quarterback passes for 305 yards and six touchdowns to carry the seventh-ranked Warriors past No. 9 Mojave 46-29 in a Sunset Region quarterfinal Friday at Western.

The Warriors (8-2) gained their first playoff victory since 1999, setting up a regional semifinal matchup at Palo Verde next Friday.

"It feels great. I'm not going to lie," Buonantony said. "It's been a long time since this team has gone past the first round."

Buonantony threw for 161 yards when Western lost to Mojave, 28-24, in mid-September.

He was simply outstanding in the rematch, completing 16 of 24 passes to five receivers, including three second-half touchdown strikes to Maurice Williams.

"We watched (film on) how we played them the first time and we had a whole new game plan," Buonantony said. "We mixed in a lot of five-receiver sets.

"We found the mismatches and exploited them tonight."

Buonantony entered the game having thrown for 1,288 yards and 14 scores in the regular season.

His first pass -- a screen to Ryan Patterson -- resulted in a 39-yard touchdown.

James Smith caught an 11-yard scoring pass and Reggie Bullock made a 27-yard TD reception in the first half to help the Warriors take a 24-21 lead.

"We've got good guys," Western coach Brian Murray said. "Our receivers all play on a regular basis. That's one of the few places we do have some depth."

Williams caught TD passes of 4, 49 and 77 yards as Western pulled away.

Bullock also completed a 63-yard pass on a halfback option as Western compiled 368 passing yards and 459 yards of total offense.

Mojave (8-3) rushed for 306 yards on 53 carries, including a 132-yard, two-touchdown effort by Deandre Taylor, in the Rattlers' first playoff appearance.

"Our guys played their hearts out and never gave up," Mojave coach Tyrone Armstrong said. "That speaks volumes for this program. This program has come a long way."