Nohlen Simons passed for two touchdowns, and Josh Almeida rushed for 132 yards as Walnut earned a 20-13 victory over rival Diamond Bar on Friday night at Walnut High School.

The win marks the Mustangs’ first victory in the annual Branding Iron rivalry game since 2021, snapping a four-game winning streak by the Brahmas.

Diamond Bar (1-2) took an early lead on its opening drive after sophomore Brennan Moreno returned the opening kickoff 41 yards to the Walnut 45-yard line. Three plays later, sophomore quarterback Ryan Manning threw a touchdown pass to junior Elliot James, who adjusted in traffic in the end zone to secure the catch and give the Brahmas a 7-0 lead.

Walnut responded on the following drive with a 10-play, 67-yard march. Almeida capped the sequence with a 10-yard touchdown run up the middle to tie the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter. Almeida finished the night as the game’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 25 times.

The Mustangs took the lead late in the first quarter behind the arm of Simons. The senior quarterback completed 15 of 24 passes for 203 yards on the night, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to junior Adrian Baldomino to make it 14-7 with 1:40 left in the quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Simons and Baldomino connected again. On third-and-7 from the Diamond Bar 37-yard line, Simons rolled to his right to avoid pressure and found Baldomino, who ran the ball in for the score. Diamond Bar stopped the two-point conversion attempt, leaving Walnut with a 20-7 advantage heading into halftime. Baldomino finished with six receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

Both defenses made adjustments after the break, resulting in a scoreless third quarter.

Diamond Bar cut into the deficit midway through the fourth quarter. Senior running back Diego Merino scored on a nine-yard run on third-and-goal to bring the Brahmas within seven points at 20-13 with 6:50 remaining.

The Brahmas had a final opportunity to tie the game after driving to the Walnut 6-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but a fourth-down pass attempt into the end zone was broken up by the Mustang secondary with 3:16 left. Walnut then ran out the remaining clock to secure the victory.

“I asked our guys to be the team that plays with more physicality and passion, and I believe we showed that to be true,” said first-year Walnut head coach Joe Goyeneche. “Defensively, I felt that we did a great job of executing the game plan… Offensively, we had balance. If you can run the ball and play good defense, you are going to have a chance in a lot of games.”

Walnut (2-4) travels to face Valencia High School on Thursday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m. Meanwhile, Diamond Bar looks to bounce back at home on Friday, September 18, when they host Canyon at 7:00 p.m.

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Photos taken by Richard Rico