RANCHO CUCAMONGA — Rancho Cucamonga football coach Alex Pierce was happy with his team’s start in Friday night’s playoff opener, but he was most encouraged by how his team responded to adversity late in the first half.

When Tustin got on the scoreboard with a touchdown on a 76-yard interception return by Kingston Fatu, the Cougars responded with a touchdown less than two minutes later.

Host Rancho Cucamonga never looked back and went on to a 45-8 rout in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 game.

Rancho Cucamonga (8-3) will host top-seeded Murrieta Valley in the second round next Friday.

“We opened the door for them to get back into it, but we closed it again,” Pierce said. “That’s something we’ve been able to do throughout the season.”

It was as complete a game as Rancho Cucamonga has p

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