Palo Verde 2-0 on Eagle Field after beating Scots
EL CENTRO – Earlier this year there was some question whether Palo Verde Valley High School would join fellow Manzanita League member Calipatria High School in forgoing a spring football season. Clearly it wasn’t because the Yellowjackets weren’t ready to play.
For the second consecutive week, the Blythe-based school dominated an opponent on the road at the home stadium of the Southwest High School Eagles. A week ago, they blanked the Eagles themselves, 42-0. On Friday, they put the hurt on the Vincent Memorial Scots.
The 37-21 final score does not reflect how much the Yellowjackets dominated the game after the first quarter.
After the two teams exchanged punts to begin the game the Yellowjackets gained 69 yards on two running plays, capped off by a 54-yard sprint down the right sideline to open the scoring.
The Scots responded to tie the score behind the passing of quarterback Diego Elorduy, who connected on back-toback passes on the drive for 40 yards, before Noe Saenz finished the drive off with a 25yard scamper.
Then it was all Yellowjackets for the next two quarters.
After intercepting Elorduy, who had three picks on the night, at the Scots’ 28 yard line, Aizik Gonzales raced 20 yards to the 8 yard line before Palo Verde Valley quarterback Ty Cruz found Xavier Gonzales-Pinon all alone in the end zone to stake his team to a 14-7 lead
Toward the end of the second quarter the Yellowjackets drove 80 yards on the ground, mostly behind the rushing of Gonzales and Gonzales-Pinon, to push the lead to 21-7 at halftime.
Any thoughts of a Scots’ comeback was quashed when Cruz connected with Gonzales-Pinon on a 26-yard strike in the third quarter to push the lead to 27-7 after the extra point failed.
After Elorduy was picked off the second time and the ball was run back 47 yards to the Scots’ 15, Cruz himself caught a pass for 13 yards to push the lead to 34-7.
Toward the end of the third quarter the Scots drove 62 yards before Elorduy connected with Andre Rodriguez on a 7-yard strike to cut the lead to 34-13 after the two-point conversion failed.
The Scots wasted their chance to get back into the game early in the fourth quarter.
After blocking a Yellowjacket punt, the Scots were 39 yards from making it a two-score game. However, immediately following the block, Elorduy was picked off for the third time.
The Yellowjackets then used the ground game to go on a long, time-consuming drive before the Scots’ defense stiffened, resulting in Gonzales splitting the uprights from 34 yards out to push the lead to 37-13.
The Scots were not through, though, as on its next play from scrimmage Elorduy connected on a 65-yard bomb to Saenz and a halfback pass on the ensuing two-point conversion succeeded to cut the lead to 37-21.
After Vincent Memorial’s onside kick was unsuccessful the Yellowjackets used the victory formation to run out the clock.
Vincent Memorial, 2-3 on the season, will host Calexico next Friday, while Palo Verde Valley, 2-1, will play its first home game of the year against Mountain Empire.