STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
BLYTHE — The Imperial Valley College Arabs rallied their defensive forces for a strong third quarter and the high scoring offense turned tailback Paul Thompson loose in the second half to pave the way for a come-from-behind victory Saturday night.
The Arabs won a wild offensive show from Palo Verde’s Pirates, 48-34, to raise their season record to 4-3 and their Desert Conference record to 3-2. Palo Verde is 2-5 for the season and 1-4 in conference play.
Although the Pirates scored 13 points in the first quarter, seven in the second and 14 in the last quarter, the Arab defense blanked the Pirates in the key third quarter.
While the defense was racking up its shutout, the offense was scoring 19 points to come from a 20-13 deficit for a 32-20 lead at the end of the third quarter. The teams swapped touchdowns in the final quarter but the Pirates were never nearer than five points.
“It was something else; really something else,” said Arab head coach Lou Erber. In the last two games, Erber has had his Arabs score 80 points and only win one of the two games. And Saturday’s was in doubt until the Arabs scored with 55 seconds left to play.
IVC lost a fumble on the game’s first scrimmage play and the Pirates marched 41 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown with 9:49 left in the quarter. Johnny Jones knifed over from two yards. Alex Naranjo’s extra point kick was wide.
The Arabs came back with an eight play, 69-yard drive. Randy Palomino tossed to Steve Evangelist at the Palo Verde 29 for a gain of 19 yards and sprinter Alfred Pettus swept the left side with a pitchout for the touchdown. Delfino Matus missed the extra point kick.
40 years ago
An Imperial County Sheriff’s Office patrol car was damaged early today in a freak accident at an El Centro restaurant parking lot involving a commercial bus line vehicle and a truck carrying a hay boom.
Deputy William Brian Willard, 24, and his patrol partner Robert Knox were on a coffee break at Denny’s Restaurant, 1455 Ocotillo Drive, when a Domenico Bus Service vehicle struck a hay boom attached to a parked truck.
The boom slipped off its frame and landed on the hood of the patrol car.
Bus driver John Joseph Person Jr., 24, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., told police he did not see the “dark colored boom” when he entered the restaurant parking lot about 4:43 a.m. today.
The driver of the boom truck, Abraham Aaron Ortega, 32, of El Centro, was also inside the coffee shop at the time of the accident.
The patrol car was moderately damaged.
30 years ago
Brawley and El Centro chambers of commerce approved a joint resolution Monday that pledges to leave any rivalry between the two cities at the traditional Bell Game on Friday night.
The yearly contest pits the Brawley Union High School Wildcats and the Central Union High School Spartans in a battle of school and community pride, with the copper bell awarded to the victor.
Ed McGrew, president of the El Centro Chamber of Commerce, and Mary Miller, president of the Brawley Chamber of Commerce, signed the joint resolution at the Brawley Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was attended by directors of the two chambers and the Brawley Cattle Call Committee.