Colton runs away with third straight win in victory over San Gorgonio, 34-12
Nick Rios destroys the Spartan defense for this 19-yard run in the third quarter.
September 18, 2021
San Bernardino, CA—“We’re from Colton. We ain’t soft. We’re hard.”
This was the word on the sidelines tonight at San Gorgonio High School as the Colton Yellowjackets took advantage of two first quarter turnovers by the Spartans on the way to their third consecutive victory, 34-12.
From the opening kickoff, San Gorgonio, fresh off a 28-18 victory over Notre Dame High last week, never found their footing on either side of the ball. Colton’s defense put the brakes on the Spartan’s star running back, senior Thomas Bell, who put up 280 yards and 4 touchdowns against Notre Dame but was held to just 83 yards and no celebrations in the end zone.
Meanwhile, on offense, Colton found its run game. Senior Nick Rios sliced through the Spartan defense for 77 yards after a week of working on running sets in practice.
“Everyday we’re getting better and better,” Rios said post-game, giving the credit to his teammates for his breakout game. “The line did good, though. They know what’s up.”
Rios’ running opened up the Colton air attack, which put another five touchdowns on the scoreboard.
In addition to five touchdown passes, junior quarterback Gabriel Aparicio passed for 268 yards, including a stunning 46-yard touchdown bomb to senior receiver Steven Medina with 7.5 seconds left in the first half, which put the Yellowjackets up 27-6.
The Yellowjacket receiving core of Steven Medina, senior Bryce Martinez, and junior Xavier Sandoval—lovingly known as “The Triplets”—all put up big numbers again. Medina had 122 yards receiving and two touchdowns, with Sandoval adding another two touchdowns on 89 yards, and Martinez contributing 58 yards and one touchdown.
“We all ate,” Sandoval said.
This was a big victory for the Yellowjackets, who head into a non-league matchup with the 0-4 Fontana Steelers next Friday in Fontana.
Aparicio best summed up why the team is rolling right now. “We’re getting a brotherhood, a bond which is helping us out a lot. We’re coming together as one. That’s a great feeling.”
