Deven Krause rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns as Temecula Valley rallied past Hillcrest 33-29 on Friday, Sept. 11.

Quarterback Caden Chrisman scored the game-winning touchdown from the 1-yard line with 24 seconds remaining to complete the comeback. The Golden Bears improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2021, when they started 5-0 and reached the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 championship game.

The program won four games total in 2023 and five in each of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the Press-Enterprise reported. First-year head coach Joel Nichols said after the game that he sees no ceiling for this group.

"I don't want to set a limit on what we're capable of this year, because I believe this is a very good team," Nichols said.

Nichols praised his coaching staff and players, adding that the win over a strong Hillcrest squad proved Temecula Valley belongs.

Trailing 29-21 entering the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears caught a break when a Hillcrest punt bounced off a Trojans player. Christian Soto recovered the ball at midfield. That set up Krause's 22-yard touchdown run with 4:33 to play, cutting the deficit to 29-27. Lineman Anthony Santos delivered a key block on the score.

Krause wasn't done.

The junior broke off a 64-yard run to put Temecula Valley at the doorstep. Shane Wulfenstein cleared a path on a fourth-and-one conversion, and Chrisman punched it in from the 1 to seal the win.

Krause credited his offensive line after the game, saying he can't do anything without them. "It's a lot of our line, I'm not gonna lie," Krause said.

Hillcrest fell to 3-1. Trojans quarterback Alexander Villasenor threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Reyez Ortiz rushed for 131 yards and scored twice. Wide receiver Nicholas Bernal had four catches for 96 yards.

Entering Week 3, Ortiz had rushed for 597 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, according to a Daily Bulletin preview. Krause had 282 yards and three touchdowns through three games. Linebacker Keaton Cadrez led the Golden Bears' defense with 25 tackles.

Temecula Valley travels to Temescal Canyon on Friday, Sept. 18.