Tigers dominate in home win over Cibola
IMPERIAL – Starting slow then exploding in the middle two quarters, the Imperial High School Tiger football team dominated the visiting Cibola High Raiders 41-14 in a non-league game Friday night.
It was the first game of the season for the Raiders and the home-opener for the Tigers with coach David Shaw receiving production from his offense, defense and special teams.
“It’s always nice to win at home and I feel it was a complete game on our part,” Shaw said. “Our line was good and our quarterbacks did a good job of commanding the offense.”
Imperial took the opening kick-off and feed the Raiders a steady diet of junior running-back Seth Shaw but the Tigers ultimately punted.
“I feel confident I can run the ball,” said Seth Shaw, who also is Imperial’s kick-returner. ” We use the run and make the defense respect that and that respect opens up the passing game.”
The Tiger’s second drive was a harbinger of things to come for Cibola as Shaw and junior quarterback Christopher Tiernan alternated runs, Tiernan opening the drive with a 32 yard rushing gain.
The seven-play drive ended on the Raider eleven yardline with Imperial junior placekicker Ethan Gonzalez converting a the field goal attempt from 28 yards to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead with
1:15 left in the first quarter.
After exchanging punts, both teams scored mid-way through the second quarter.
First, Shaw returned a punt 38 yards to the Cibola 29 yard-line where the tandem of Tiernan and Shaw rushed the ball to the Raider five.
Shaw capped the short sixplay drive scoring from the five and Gonzalez’s PAT made it 10-0 Imperial.
The Raiders responded on the ensuing kick-off, Cibola senior Zach Stultz electrifying the visiting crowd, zig-zagging his way and breaking tackles for a 90 yard touchdown.
Cibola’s PAT attempt failed on a bad snap and Imperial went right back to work, driving 62 yards on seven plays highlighted by a 35-yard pass from Tiernan to senior wideout Jesse Nichols, setting up a three-yard touchdown run by Tiger senior Jeremiah Naylor.
“He’s a running quarterback and he showed he could throw and it’s the first night we have tried to push the ball down the field,” Shaw said of Tiernan. “I ask that he improve on something every week and he has.”
Leading 17-6, Imperial’s defense forced a Cibola punt and with time waning in the first half, the Tigers went to the air, Tiernan hitting junior Alejandro Perez in the endzone with a 35- yard touchdown pass.
“My first read was Jesse (Nichols) coming back towards me and he was open but Alejandro was open deep and I felt I could get him the ball,” Tiernan said.
Trailing 24-6, Cibola opened the second half going three and out and punted from their ten yard-line.
Shaw took the short punt and returned it down the right sideline for a touchdown.
“It was a short punt and I kept coming up on it and I was going to let it die,” Shaw said. “Then I saw the blocking opening up down the side line so I decided to pick it up and headed down that side.”
Cibola’s first play from scrimmage following the punt return touchdown,
Shaw made his prescience felt defensively, intercepting a Raider pass at the Cibola 45 yard-line.
On the ensuing drive, Imperial scored its final touchdown at the 8:30 mark of the third-quarter when Tiernan scored on a ten-yard run.
“We came out ready to run the ball and for sure I wanted to run,” Tiernan said. “The line made great holes so I had lots of room to run.”
Cibola’s only touchdown of the game came at the start of the fourth quarter ironically after Raider starting quarterback Jesus Torres left the game with an injury.
Torres was replaced by George Garcia who used the Wildcat offense basically running the ball every play eventually scoring on a two-yard run at the 11:53 mark, then running for the two-point conversion.
Imperial used most of the fourth quarter to showcase freshman quarterback Rhys Vindiola who made an impressive home debut using his legs and his arm to methodically drive the Tigers down the field.
When the drive stalled at the Cibola eight yard-line, Imperial again turned to Gonzalez, who was perfect on five PAT kicks, to book-end the game’s scoring with a 19yard field goal.
With the victory Imperial evened its record at 1-1 and host the Valley Center High Jaguars (1-2) Friday night at 7:00 p.m.