IMPERIAL— Heading into Week Six of the season, the Imperial Tigers hosted the Valley Center Jaguars under the Friday night lights Sept. 26 in a true test of strength. The Tigers walked away with another decisive victory, 61-28.
As the team captains stepped onto the field for the coin toss, Valley Center won and deferred to the second half, sending Imperial’s special teams’ unit out to receive the opening kickoff.
Back deep for the Tigers, Anthony Hellum returned the ball to the 46-yard line to set up the opening drive.
On first down, quarterback Santonio Ureña lined up under center and wasted no time establishing the offense. Star running back Deren Hueso took the handoff and split the defense up the middle for a huge run, giving the Tigers a quick six points.
After a successful kick by Lucas Mora, Imperial led 7-0.
On the Jaguars’ first drive, they marched into the red zone, but Imperial’s defense struck first. Mario Gaxiola intercepted Braylon Mitchell and returned it for a pick-six. With Mora’s extra point, the Tigers extended their lead to 14-0.
Valley Center again threatened on its next possession, driving inside the 20, but a missed 30-yard field goal gave the ball back to Imperial. Hueso broke off another big run before leaving the game with an injury, but the Tigers regrouped with a completion to Gaxiola to push deeper into Jaguar territory.
Despite the momentum, Ureña was intercepted, giving the Jaguars possession late in the first quarter. However, Imperial’s defense held firm, forcing a punt early in the second quarter.
“Once again, our defense did an outstanding job giving our offense time on the field and chances to make big plays to help us gain the upper hand in this matchup,” Ureña said.
The Tigers quickly capitalized. Ureña connected with Trey Ruiz, who shook off his defender for Imperial’s third touchdown. Mora remained perfect on PATs, making it 21-0.
Imperial’s defense stopped Valley Center on fourth down to set up another drive. This time, Ureña found Hellum on the outside, and the receiver slipped past defenders for another touchdown. Mora’s kick stretched the lead to 28-0.
“During the second quarter, we executed our game plan and trusted each other on the field, which allowed us to stay in control,” Ureña said.
Valley Center finally broke through late in the half. Mitchell connected with Jesse Morales for a 70-yard score, cutting the deficit to 28-7. But on the ensuing kickoff, Hellum returned it the distance for a special team’s touchdown, putting Imperial ahead 35-7 after Mora’s PAT.
The Jaguars struck back quickly with a passing touchdown, trimming the lead to 35-14. They added another score just before halftime after recovering a fumble on the kickoff, as Mitchell found Joeisha Tirado in the end zone. At the break, the Tigers led 35-21.
Imperial wasted no time in the second half. On Valley Center’s opening drive, the Tigers intercepted the ball, setting up great field position. Ureña then found Gio Robles for his first touchdown of the night. Mora’s extra point restored a three-touchdown lead.
“We played a good game tonight and created a lot of opportunities on the field. Our team capitalized in every phase, which allowed us to control the tempo,” Robles said.
From there, the Tigers continued to dominate, pulling away to secure their sixth straight win and remain undefeated.
“This was a good game to prepare us for the next part of the season with league play starting,” Robles added. “We’ll take it one game at a time and put in the work during practice to stay ready for each opponent.”
With the win, Imperial now turns its focus to El Centro, where the Tigers will face the Central Spartans on Friday, Oct. 3. Both teams enter the matchup at 6-0 as league play begins.
“We’ll continue to get ready, watch film, and prepare for our next opponent as we start league play,” Ureña said.