Roundup: Cibola shuts out Alhambra

Gila Ridge falls to Brawley

It was a far cry from last year’s 63-47 final, but Cibola’s win against Alhambra on Friday night might have been more impressive than its win in 2016.

The Raiders (2-4 AIA) pitched a shutout against the Lions (1-4 AIA) on the road in Phoenix, ending the night with a 28-0 victory.

“Our defense had a real good week of practice in preparation,” Cibola coach Lucky Arvizo said in a phone interview. “Alhambra does a real good job on the wing-T and our defense … stayed true to their gaps. … Our guys did a good job of containing the running backs.”

Zeke Rios intercepted a pass and the Cibola defense forced and recovered two fumbles in the contest.

On offense, it was senior running back Jesse Escott who had another nice night on the ground. Escott had 101 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

“Our O-line did a good job of blocking, and Jesse hit the hole well,” Arivzo said.

Escott’s three scores all followed the first touchdown of the night, a 32-yard pass from Ethan Arvizo to Gabriel Ramirez. That came in the first quarter, and Escott had his first touchdown after to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter. His other two scores were in the third quarter.

Ethan Arvizo was 6-for11 with 84 yards passing.

Cibola will return to Raider Field on Friday against Valley Vista.

Brawley (Calif.) 33, Gila Ridge 11

The Hawks hung in there with Brawley, trailing just 7-3 at halftime. Ty DeHart scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make the score 14-11, but then the Wildcats (3-1 overall) had three touchdowns to run away with the contest.

Gila Ridge coach Corey Semler did not return a call Friday night for an interview about the game.