The scoreboard read 42-14. It was never that close.

The Acalanes Dons controlled the crosstown rivalry game against the Campolindo Cougars from the first snap to the final whistle, winning every phase of the game and improving to 8-1 on the season.

Senior quarterback Tyler Winkles owned the night. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 237 yards, finding three different receivers for touchdowns. He also added 84 yards and two more scores on just four carries. By halftime the Dons led 28-7, and their defense made sure the Cougars never found a way back.

The Acalanes defense announced itself on the very first play of the game, dropping the Campolindo quarterback for a sack. It was a sign of things to come as the 11-man wall forced a three and out.

The offense took its cue. Facing fourth-and-four, Winkles hit senior Finley Rivera on a deep out, and Rivera turned the corner and raced another 40 yards for the game’s first score.

A few possessions later, senior tight end AJ Del Santo found himself wide open over the middle on back-to-back plays. The first went for 40 yards. The second was a 30-yard touchdown strike late in the first quarter that pushed the lead to 14-0.

Campolindo answered early in the second quarter. Going for it on fourth-and-nine from the 40, the Cougars hit a bubble screen to the left flat and the receiver went the distance untouched, cutting the lead to 14-7 with 10:50 left in the half.

But that’s where the game took a turn in the Dons favor and Campolindo could just stand there shaking their collective heads. Winkles responded with his legs, scrambling 19 yards and diving into the right corner of the end zone to make it 21-7 with 8:40 to go.

The Cougars, with all due respect, tried to make it a game but the defense was impenetrable. They missed together a few runs to get close to pay dirt, but were stopped on fourth-and-three with 2:14 left in the half.

Campo got another chance when a Dons drive stalled deep in their own territory and the Cougars returned the ensuing punt to the 8-yard line. The defense held again. Senior Mason Anderson made a terrific play to break up a would-be touchdown in the back of the end zone, and the Acalanes cornerbacks blanketed the Cougars’ receivers. Facing fourth-and-14, Campolindo lined up for a 31-yard field goal, but a botched snap and hold turned the ball back over to the Dons at their own 40 with 56 seconds left.

Acalanes needed just one play to make it hurt. Winkles found junior Finn Aiken behind the defense for a 60-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left, and the Dons went to the locker room up 28-7.

The Acalanes defense came out of halftime on fire, sacking the Campolindo quarterback twice on the opening series and pinning the Cougars deep before forcing a punt. The Dons drove down the field and Winkles kept it himself for his second rushing touchdown with four minutes left in the third quarter, making it 35-7.

Junior Justin Davis added an easy run up the middle with seven minutes to play for a 42-7 lead, his fourth touchdown in five games. Davis and fellow junior Joaquin Bordi delivered their signature one-two punch all night, combining for 106 yards on 16 carries.

The Dons defense was suffocating. Dax Vail, Danny Dunne, Brandon Simmons and Sean Tandler each recorded a sack, creating mayhem in the Campolindo backfield all night. Luke Dafferner, Max Volpian and Mason Anderson seemed to be everywhere, breaking up passes and giving the Cougars almost nothing. Campolindo managed only 90 yards on 25 carries, a 3.6-yard average.

Offensively, senior wideout player Finley Rivera reached a milestone on the evening. His touchdown pushed him past 1,000 receiving yards for the season. Through nine games he has 69 catches for 1,036 yards and 14 touchdowns, already topping last season’s totals with three fewer games played.

Junior Finn Aiken posted his best game of the season with two catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, and Del Santo led all receivers with six catches for 84 yards and a score.

The win sets up a winner-take-all showdown. Acalanes and Benicia are both 2-0 in DAL play, and the league title will be decided when they meet next week in Lafayette. Go Dons!