The Imperial Tigers traveled to the north end of Imperial County to take on the Brawley Wildcats at Warne Field in Brawley, CA on Friday, October, 8th, 2021. While it seemed like Imperial could take the game early on, it did not turn out to hold true as Brawley edged out the Tigers, 27-15.
For the Tigers, junior quarterback/wide receiver Christopher Tiernan made key throws and receptions all throughout the game, especially when he commanded a 7-play opening scoring drive to open up the game for the Tigers. Senior running back Jeremiah Naylor was credited with Imperial’s first touchdown, as well as opening up scoring in this game, a run into the endzone from 11-yards out. Sophomore linebacker Joel Villa Campos recovered a loose ball when the Wildcats fumbled following a pooch kick from the Imperial kicking team, starting Imperial’s second offensive drive on the 25-yard-line, just after the Tigers opened up scoring in the game. Junior kicker Ethan Gonzalez Lopez split the uprights from 33-yards out to cut Brawley’s lead to just 5 points just before halftime. Freshman quarterback, Rhys Vindiola also played a key role in trying to help mount the Tigers’ comeback, making a multitude of key passes, especially when he threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jesse Nichols in the third quarter.
For the Wildcats, junior cornerback Daniel Camillo intercepted a Rhys Vindiola pass, putting the ball at the 20-yardline for Brawley to try to eat into Imperial’s early lead. Senior runningback Isaiah Young opened up scoring for the Wildcats in the game taking a handoff from 2-yards out. Young also was credited with Brawley’s last score of the game, taking a handoff from 4-yards out this time. Junior Gilbert Corrales took a handoff to run 71-yards for a touchdown with under 5:30 to go until the half. After the break, junior quarterback Ethan Gutierrez showed what he does best, calling his own number, for a 55-yard touchdown, extending the Brawley lead 20-9. As the Tigers were trying to close the Wildcats’ 5-point lead, freshman Matthew Moreno caused an Imperial fumble, which was recovered by Robert Platt to open up Brawley’s next offensive drive at the Imperial 25-yardline. In the final minutes of the game, junior Tanner Carranza sacked Imperial quarterback Rhys Vindiola for a 15-yard loss, forcing Imperial to punt.
With the loss, Imperial falls to 4-3 on the season, still holding a winning record. This game opened the Tigers’ Imperial Valley League slate of games, with Imperial going into next week 0-1 in the IVL. Up next for the Tigers will be another tough test when they take on the Central Spartans at Cal Jones Field Friday night, continuing their Imperial Valley League slate of games.
With the victory, Brawley improves to 6-2 on the season, putting their win streak at 6 games in a row. This victory also puts the Wildcats’ Imperial Valley League record at 2-0, coming off a big win over the Southwest Eagles the week before. Up next, Brawley will find themselves back at Warne Field on Thursday night, taking on the Calexico Bulldogs, continuing their Imperial Valley League slate of games.
Check out our broadcast highlights from Brawley’s win over Imperial.
