Brawley conquers Coronado for 34-7 win
CORONADO — In the first football game between the two schools in 64 years, the Brawley Union High School Wildcats dominated the Coronado High Islanders 34- 7 here Thursday night.
History buffs will be interested in knowing Brawley won the 1957 game as well, but this year’s contest marked the only out- of- county game this season.
Brawley lost the coin toss and the Islanders choose to kick off to start the game. For the second game in a row, the Wildcats made their opponents pay for that decision.
With Brawley on their own 45 on their opening drive, sophomore quarterback Ethan Gutierrez tossed the ball to wingback Ruben Abarca who ran 55 yards for a touchdown.
“It was the jet- sweep, and I’ve run it all year, but this was the first time I popped it,” Abarca said. “I was just following my blockers and I have them to thank for getting loose then I just took off.”
The two- point conversion failed, but with 9: 41 left in the first quarter, Brawley led 6- 0.
The Islanders behind freshman quarterback Hudson Herber then engineered a drive that took Coronado to the Brawley 5 yard line, where the Wildcat defense stiffened and took over on downs.
“I think for the first time this season we had a better first quarter than previous weeks,” said Brawley coach Jon Self. “The thing I was most pleased with was getting off the field on third downs or just not giving them another set of downs.”
On Brawley’s first offensive play following the defensive stand, Gutierrez handed the ball off to halfback Isaiah Young who sprinted 95 yards up the middle of the artificial- turf field for a touchdown.
“I saw a hole open up, and I went for it. I felt like I ran harder than I have before,” said Young who finished the game with 213 yards on 18 carries. “When I ran tonight I felt I could always get a couple more yards because they were tackling me high.”
Leading 12- 0, the Wildcats again stopped the Islanders and on a fourth- and- four play at Coronado’s 36 yard line. Young took a pitch from Gutierrez and swept to his right only to find nowhere to turn up field.
One step from going out- of- bounds, Young pivoted, reversed field and sprinted toward the left sideline, turning up field and just making it to the pylon for a touchdown.
Brawley’s J. J. Gutierrez ran in the two- point conversion to give the Wildcats a 20- 0 halftime lead.
Coronado ran a short Brawley second- half- opening kickoff to the Wildcat 45 yard line.
On the ensuing drive Coronado converted two fourth- down attempts behind the running of junior Zane Delcore who scored on a 9- yard touchdown run to cut the Wildcat lead to 20- 7.
Brawley’s next possession started at the Wildcat 25 yard line, but a bad exchange on a handoff caused the Wildcats’ only turnover of the game.
Coronado appeared poised to climb back into the contest when the Wildcat defense again rose to the occasion with another goalline stand to turn the Islanders away.
On Brawley’s ensuing possession, Ethan Gutierrez connected on passes to Jayden Figueroa and Chandler Self for 12 and 24 yards, respectively, that set up a 6- yard touchdown run by Abarca.
“I had trouble getting my footing, but when I did, I could get behind the pass,” said Gutierrez who completed six of eight passing attempts and had nine carries for 23 yards.
“I’m trying to do more this season than last, I’m reading the defense better. I’m maturing, and things are clicking.”
Senior Nathan May converted the PAT attempt to put the game away at 27- 7.
With the clock winding down, Brawley went to a ground- and- pound offense and scored on a 6- yard run by J. J. Gutierrez, and May’s PAT made the final score
34- 7.
“I started kicking in Pop Warner, and we needed a kicker and I tried out,” May said. “PATs are all I’ve tried so far, but I’m not afraid to try a field goal and we practice both.”
The victory improved the Wildcats record 5- 0 in the pandemic- postponed 2020 football season and Brawley will take a 3- 0 Imperial Valley League record into Friday night’s Bell Game where they will play host to the 4- 0 Central Union Spartans at 7 p. m.