No. 1 Arizona Western football crushes Air Force Prep
A long bus trip didn’t prevent the Arizona Western football team from clicking on all cylinders Friday in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the No. 1-ranked Matadors cruised to a 56-0 victory over Air Force Prep to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Quarterback Emanuel Gant threw for 210 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, running backs Greg Bell (16 carries, 172 yards) and Trey Rodriguez (11 for 137) combined for 309 yards rushing, and AWC’s defense forced seven turnovers en route to posting its third shutout in four games.
“I think was really the first game where the kids were totally focused from the time we left to the time we got there and played,” AWC coach Tom Minnick said. “It showed by how well they played.”
The Matadors, who were playing their first game as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, jumped out to an early 21-0 lead thanks to first-quarter touchdowns by Dominick Wood-Anderson (51 yards from Gant), Rodriguez (8-yard rush) and Steffon McKnight (49 yards from Gant).
Three more touchdowns in the second quarter — Rodriguez from 86 yards out, Gant to Jefferie Gibson for 37 yards and Gant to Dayzell Wilson for 48 yards — made the score 42-0 at halftime.
Minnick attributed the team’s level of focus to the fact that it wasn’t a oneday trip, as most of their Western States Football League games are.
“I always like away games where you have to stay at a hotel, because you do everything as a team,” Minnick said. “When you’re at home, you never know what they’re doing the night before a game.”
The highlight of the second half came courtesy of a local product: sophomore linebacker Abe Thompson, a Cibola alum. With Air Force threatening to score at the Matadors’ 5-yard line early in the third quarter, Thompson came up with a tackle-for-loss of nine yards. And then a few plays later, Thompson blocked a field goal attempt, picked up the ball and took it 80 yards the other way for a touchdown.
“He played really well,” Minnick said of Thompson.
Bell provided the Matadors’ other second-half touchdown early in the fourth quarter, taking it in from 38 yards out for his first career score.
AWC hasn’t allowed a touchdown since its season-opener, but figures to face its biggest test to date next Saturday — when Snow, currently ranked No. 6, comes to town.
“We haven’t beaten them in a while,” Minnick said. “That’s going to be a huge one.”
JUCO VOLLEYBALL AWC 3, Phoenix 1
The Arizona Western volleyball team improved to 20-0 overall on the season Friday night, beating Phoenix in four sets (25-12, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19) on the road.
Georgia Romine-Black (13 kills), Keana Smalls (12 kills, 17 digs), Stephany Orjuela (41 assists, 17 digs), Lanessa Hall (5 blocks) and Sofia Lopez (34 digs) led the way for the Matadors (20-0, 9-0 ACCAC).