The Matador football team at Arizona Western outlasted and upset the 18th-ranked Glendale Gauchos last Saturday 19-18 in a game that lasted just over four hours at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Yuma, Ariz.
The win is the second for the Matadors this season, giving them a 2-6 overall record and a 2-4 Western States Football League conference record.
Although Glendale struck first with a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter, the Matadors went ahead with a touchdown on a 3-yard run by Kenny Faumui in the second. Michael Ellison kicked the field goal to give Arizona Western the 7-3 lead. The Gauchos put another field goal through the posts before halftime to put the score at 7-6.
Glendale went ahead in the third quarter after Zac Hulse made the one-yard run in for a touchdown. The Matadors stayed feisty, however, and blocked the field goal to keep the score at 12-7.
Matadors’ quarterback Will Brogan ran the ball one yard into the end zone to go ahead by one point. Arizona Western went for the two-point conversion, but were denied by the Gauchos. Glendale came back with another touchdown on a 20-yard run by Zac Hulse. The Gauchos also went for a two-point conversion and they were denied, as well, leaving the score standing with Glendale leading 18-13 with less than five minutes left in the game.
The Matadors’ Tim Johnson put Arizona Western up for good, as he made a 13-yard run for the touchdown. Again the Matadors attempted the two-point conversion and again, the Gauchos shut them down. The Matadors didn’t need those two points, though, and won the game with a final score of 19-18.
Total offense for the game was 270 yards (93 rushing, 177 passing) for the Matadors and 298 for Glendale (252 rush, 46 pass). The Matadors forced five turnovers in the game, including three interceptions, while only committing one, a fumble
Jeromy Jones was named as Western States Football League Defensive Player of the week for the week ending Oct. 28 for his play in the game. Jones intercepted a pass and returned it for 54 yards to setup the Matadors first touchdown of the night. Later in the game, Jones broke up another pass play, his second of the night. Jones also made 11 tackles in the game.
The Matadors head to Roswell, N.M. for their game against the Broncos of the New Mexico Military Institute on Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast on the AWC Athletics website at www.azwestern.edu/athletics.
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