Colton, CA—Friday Night Lights are back and Colton football came ready.
On Friday night, the Yellowjackets defeated the Jurupa Valley Jaguars 43-7 in an overall outstanding performance, showcasing their hunger to win.
Koa Regalado, Colton’s star QB, ended his night with a performance that more than earned the praise he has been receiving. He rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 211 yards, and hit receivers Kalvin Leon, and Mateo Barboza for touchdowns.
Head coach Ray Rodriguez was excited about this first week’s showing from his team. “Offense was clicking. They flew around, tackled well and had a few miscues, but other than that they had a phenomenal game.”
The Yellowjacket strategy for this game was to “take what they give us,” said Coach Myles Herrera, “to put the ball where they leave spots open, control the clock, hold on to the football and win the game.”
Receivers Kyle Mejia (two receptions, 58 yards), Ethan Moreno (1 reception, 16 yards), Kalvin Leon (4 receptions, 90 yards), Mateo Barboza (1 reception, 32 yards) and Damian Sanchez (2 receptions, 15 yards) showed Jurupa Valley different looks and provided Regalado with great targets throughout the game. Sanchez also rushed for 55 yards.
Defense on the other hand, kept a strong front, holding the Jaguars scoreless most of the game.
About the defense, Rodriguez said, “Defensively, a couple big plays from the linebackers getting in the back field, making some tackles for losses and sacks.” As a turning point during the game. This included a huge fumble recovery and touchdown by Robert Arnaiz.
Also impressive in this game was Colton’s kicker Ghael Pasos. Pasos showed he could put the ball through the uprights, scoring on a field goal attempt, and going 4-for-6 on points-after-touchdown. Last year, the Yellowjackets struggled all season with their kicking game.
“I made sure to call a field goal for all the people that say I hate kicking,” Rodriguez said with a smirk.
Colton football has trained hard all summer, they watched film, hit the weight room and studied their plays. The hard work showed in this first game. With hype from the student section, the loud crowd and performances from the cheerleaders the Yellowjackets were ready to do more.
This is a strong start to the 2024 season. Next Friday, Aug. 30, football travels out to Oxnard to match up against the 1-0 Hueneme High School Vikings.
Skyline League Notes
Fontana def. San Bernardino 20-0
On Thursday, Aug. 29, Fontana defeated San Bernardino for their first victory of the season. Their run-heavy attack featured senior quarterback Ruben Camacho, who ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw one touchdown.
Perris def. Bloomington 34-6
On Thursday, Aug. 29, Bloomington lost their first game of the season to Perris High. No stats were published for this game.
Carter def. La Sierra 34-14
Senior Ryder Carson led the Lions to a 34-14 victory over La Sierra on Friday night. Carson threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Andre Thompson ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Banning def. Notre Dame Riverside 53-0
Notre Dame gets shut out in their first game of the season, losing to the Banning Broncos 53-0. The Broncos were led by sophomore quarterback Jacob Anzaldua, who threw for 145 yards and three touchdowns.
