Oxnard, CA — Buena 13, Rio Mesa 34 OXNARD, CA — It was a play five weeks in the making. Rio Mesa High offensive coordinator Alex Morfin drilled it twice a week. "We were waiting, waiting, waiting for the right opportunity," said Rio Mesa coach Jim Bittner. When the moment came, the practice paid dividends. Taking a pitch from quarterback JJ Bittner, J'Lin Wingo rolled to the right. Then, for the first time in his three-year varsity career, Wingo threw a pass. Right into the waiting hands of his wide-open quarterback for a 16-yard TD pass to give Rio Mesa a 14-0 lead with 3:30 left in the third quarter. It was Bittner's first-ever reception. It would be one of several memorable plays for the pair in Friday's 34-13 Channel League win over Buena on Homecoming Night. The much-needed win kept Rio Mesa (5-2, 2-2) alive in the hunt for a playoff spot. Buena (4-4, 4-2) is tied for third with two games left in its regular season. Bittner passed for 184 yards, rushed for 105 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. Wingo rushed 12 times for 84 yards and scored on a 54-yard TD pass from Bittner. Tyler Hoff rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Watts tacked on a 26-yard TD reception late in the second quarter for Buena. "We have had that in the books for quite a while," said Wingo about the TD pass that made him a triple-threat offensive player. "I was glad we had a chance to run it. I felt good about the pass. Somehow it made it to JJ." Wingo thought that the difference in the game was Rio Mesa's ability to rush the ball right from the start. "Had we not," he said, "it might have been a different outcome." Rio Mesa scored on its first two possessions. Isaiah Bautista's 1-yard TD run with 8:29 left in the first quarter capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive. The big plays were runs of 16 and 18 yards by Bittner and Wingo, respectively. Bittner's 36-yard run on the next possession put Rio Mesa on the Buena 7. Two plays later, the Wingo-to-Bittner pass extended the margin to 14-0. A tough well coached Buena team never quit. Rio Mesa was stopped after reaching the Buena 14 on the first drive of the second quarter. A 34-yard field-goal attempt missed. That seemed to light a fire under the Buena offense. Hoff caught a 26-yard pass from Joey Reynoso, broke through for a 31-yard gain rushing and wrapped up the 81-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run to close the margin to 14-6. Rio Mesa's response was a 54-yard TD pass to Wingo for a 21-6 lead with 3:54 left in the half. With two seconds remaining, Watts wrestled a pass away from a Rio Mesa defender in the end zone for a 26-yard TD catch as Buena ended the half trailing 21-13. Two touchdowns in a 32-second span in the fourth quarter enabled Rio Mesa to break free. On the first play of the quarter, Bittner scored on a 24-yard run. Seconds after Rio Mesa recovered a fumble at the Buena 10-yard line, Bittner found Noah Ramos for a touchdown and a 34-13 lead. "Buena did a great job defending," said coach Bittner. "We ran the ball much better than we have." Rio Mesa closes the league season with games against Oxnard, Pacifica and Dos Pueblos. Buena will be at home against crosstown rival Ventura this Friday and finishes with Santa Barbara on Oct. 27.