On Friday, the Goddard Rockets football team hosted the Valley Vikings at the Wool Bowl. This game marked the Rockets’ home opener.
The Rockets entered this game with a 1-1 record, coming off a 16-14 loss against the Carlsbad Cavemen. This season the Rockets have deployed a unique strategy of using two quarterbacks, Izaiah Montoya (13) and Nate Vasquez (8). The Vikings came in with an 0-2 record, coming off a 34-7 loss to the Albuquerque Bulldogs.
Goddard wide receiver Josiah Castillo (1) makes a catch over Valley defender Anthony Dow.
David Rocha Photo
The Rockets got the ball first, and had a drive that lasted less then four minutes. The drive was capped off with a rushing touchdown by Zak Arrellano (21), and after a failed two-point conversion, the score was 6-0 in their favor.
The Vikings would respond with a scoring drive that would last the majority of the first quarter, with quarterback Jose Jaramillo (1) completing the drive with a rushing touchdown. The Viking would obtain a 7-6 lead after getting the extra point. The score would remain the same as the quarter came to an end.
In the second, despite having a short field due to a pick, the Vikings were held to a field goal attempt — which Vikings kicker William Bradford missed. The Rockets would use this opportunity to mount a drive that ended in a rushing touchdown by Jose Porras (81), boosting the lead 12-7 after another failed two-point conversion.
The Rockets defense forced a stop on the next Valley drive, and blocked a punt that would result in another touchdown, with a successful two-point conversion for a 20-7 scoreboard. The Rockets got another touchdown, as Montoya (13) rushed in the end zone to make the score 28-7 going into half.
Goddard linebacker Taylen Payne (7) blocks a punt. This blocked punt led to a touchdown.
David Rocha Photo
Coming out of the half, after the Rockets recovered an onside kick, they would score yet another touchdown by Arrellano (21) to shoot up 35-7. The Vikings would finally respond after this with a rushing touchdown by Zachary Perez-Verdeja (32), to make the score 35-14. All that happened in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.
The rest of the quarter went by with no one scoring because both defenses forced multiple turnovers and neither offense could move the ball. The Rockets would finally get a drive going as the quarter ended.
In the fourth, the Rockets ended their drive with a rushing touchdown by Brady Gibbs to expand their lead to 42-14. The Rockets would control the rest of the game, even adding another by Montoya (13), to secure the 49-12 victory. The Rockets jump to 2-1, while the Vikings fall to 0-3.
“I’m very proud of the boys,” Goddard Head Coach Arturo Bolaños said, discussing the performance his team has given in the first three weeks of play. He noted his players are heavily invested in their team, which he attributes to their strong performance. He explained that while there were a few things they have to fix from this game, an example being penalties, he loved how the team looked overall from both sides of the ball.
The Rockets’ next game happens this Friday as they travel to Santa Teresa to face the Desert Warriors at 7 p.m.