As often as Center quarterback Jesus Valadez tried throwing long Friday, he was probably going to hit a receiver either close to or in the end zone at least once, particularly if said receiver was in single coverage.
Ignacio realized this, and sure enough, it happened; Valadez launched a 28-yard touchdown along the visiting Vikings’ sideline to Donovan Montoya, getting CHS on IHS Field’s scoreboard with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.
“Yeah, it was bound to happen sometime,” said Bobcat senior John Riepel, “but it’s all right; they only scored once.”
Though granting the guests a grain of grace, the ’Cats showed little mercy the rest of the game. Riepel, named Ignacio’s homecoming king at the game, saw to that. And it took him only 11 seconds to personally recoup the surrendered six points.
Building up speed and a full head of steam, Riepel caught Center’s kickoff in stride at his own 30-yard line, veered left and made the 70-yard return look not nearly as exhausting as it should have been – considering it was his sixth touchdown in the game. Freshman Lincoln deKay carried in the two-point conversion for the final points in a thorough 42-6 thumping.
“First half was kind of slow and everything, but after that we just kept our noses down and kept playing hard. That’s all we did,” Riepel said. The No. 95 on his University of Colorado football camp shirt was perfect for a player who’d recorded a 95-yard TD run, immediately preceding Center’s seven-play, 58-yard scoring drive. “It was fun, exciting.”
“The other team was actually pretty good too, most of them,” said freshman Zane Pontine, whose interception of Valadez with 5:50 remaining set up Riepel’s first-down, coast-to-coast carry. “So it was pretty fun to get this win on homecoming.”
“I was excited for the D-linemen; they had a blowout game!” Riepel said. “I could just sit back there and rest while they were having all the fun … getting sacks! I was just proud, like, ‘Thank you!’”
After Riepel’s runback, Montoya nearly broke a big-gainer on Ignacio’s kick, but was brought down at the Viking 41 after a 19-yard return. Center advanced 20 yards in two plays. IHS sophomore Kendrick Nossaman then sacked Valadez for a loss of six and a personal-foul tripping infraction pushed the Vikes back to their own 45.
Forced to, but failing to punt away the football, Center saw the ’Cats take over exactly where the series had started when gamelong disrupter D.J. Hendren recovered the botched attempt at CHS’ 41 with 1:58 to go. DeKay gained 14 yards on two carries, allowing Pontine to take a single victory-formation knee.
“Basically all it was, was speed,” Hendren said, of augmenting Ignacio’s pass rush featuring regulars Charlie Pargin, Nossaman, Zane Ross and Elliott Hendren. “Like, they’ll bring their guys in on them because they’re bigger, and since I’m smaller … I’ll just go right in.”
“I think (Center) could be good if their receivers caught a few more balls,” Pontine said. “But their O-line just was not in it tonight; our defensive line was just blowing through to their quarterback. It went pretty well, I’d say.”
“It was fun, I’ve got to say,” Hendren said. “I wasn’t eligible last game, so I had fun playing this game.”
Hendren recorded IHS’ first sack of Valadez late in the first quarter. The Bobcats would drop the Viking behind the line of scrimmage no fewer than 10 times in improving to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in 1A Southern Peaks play. Valadez threw for 160 yards unofficially on 13-of-36 accuracy.
Offensively, Riepel – who also booked an interception – finished with a devastating 285 yards (unofficially) on 19 carries, including additional TDs of 1, 46, 53 and 4 yards. Lacking Nate Hendren, Ignacio got ground support from senior Anthony Toledo (7-31 rushing), deKay (9-20) and Pontine (6-20). Junior Devante Montoya caught five passes for 32 yards and Riepel snagged one from Pontine (3-of-3, minus-15 yards) on the first play after halftime, when he lost his left cleat while being tackled for a loss of seven.
All told, IHS led 6-0 after one quarter, 20-0 through two, and 28-0 after three in building up crucial morale for a Friday visit from No. 5-ranked Monte Vista. Averaging a fraction more than 50 points per game, MVHS (6-0, 2-0 SPC) thrashed Trinidad (0-6, 0-2) on Friday, 68-6.
“We need to heal up from this week – homecoming and everything – and get our minds straight,” Riepel said. “Get past this ‘W’ and focus on the Pirates. But I think we’re ready.”
“Yeah it’s going to be tough,” Hendren said, “but I feel with our motivation, our spirit, we can beat them.”
Center (2-4, 0-2), meanwhile, will next host Del Norte at 1 p.m. Saturday with the Tigers (2-4, 0-2) hurting after a 57-0 loss at No. 9 Centauri (4-2, 2-0).
