EL CENTRO – Using a masterful defense to shut out the the Brawley Union High School Wildcat football team’s offense and cashing in an early special teams turnover for a score, the Central Union High Spartans posted a 14-7 victory in the 80th Bell Game here at Cal Jones Field on Friday night.

Central’s defense kept Brawley from scoring despite numerous possessions by the Wildcats into the Spartan red zone, with a bevy of turnovers plaguing the Wildcats.

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“The defense executed perfectly and they hustled to the ball on tackles and we told them if they did good things would happen,” Central Coach David Peña said.

While the defense was the story of the Spartans Bell Game win, it was there special teams that set up Central to take an early lead.

Brawley won the coin toss and elected to open the game by kicking off and putting their defense on the field first, and the move paid off initially, as the Wildcats forced the Spartans to go three and out.

On the ensuing punt from the Central 35-yard line, the ball deflected off a Brawley punt-returner and was recovered by Spartan senior Seth Mendez at the Wildcat 22-yard line.

A personal-foul penalty against the Wildcats put Central at the 23-yard line put the ball at the 11-yard line. On the next play Spartan junior running back Nico Viesca ran into the end zone for a touchdown. Central senior placekicker Miguel Vega split the uprights and Central had a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the Bell Game.

Brawley then was forced into a four-and-out and punted to Central, who on a first and ten from their 30-yard line, saw Brawley senior defensive back Chris Camillo intercept a pass by Spartan sophomore quarterback Luis Jimenez.

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Camillo picked off the throw at the Spartan 35-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. Brawley senior place-kicker Diego Padilla’s extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 7:31 left in the first quarter.

“I was expecting a screen pass but it wasn’t but I read his eyes and just stepped in front of the receiver,” Camillo said. “I got a block from Matthew (Gutierrez), and I saw daylight and ran it in.”

Central then took over on their next possession at their 10 yard line and would drive 90-yards in fifteen plays to score behind the running of Viesca, who had 32 yards in the drive.

“The plan was to run the ball and then get the screen passes going and on that drive it worked,” Viesca said. “I had a lot of yards tonight but I give full credit to my line…they opened holes and I just kept pushing and I didn’t have any turnovers.”

Interspersed between Viesca’s running, Jimenez connected on short passes and on the first play of the second quarter. On a fourth down, Jimenez found sophomore Emilano Morales on a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Vega’s PAT put Central ahead by a score of 14-7 with 11:55 to go in the second quarter – and from then on, while both offenses moved the ball, neither team would score again.

“We had some good drives and we had chances but we have to finish those drives,” Peña said.

Brawley junior quarterback Matthew Gutierrez tried to rally his team in the second half but was intercepted by Spartan senior Artie Estrada in the fourth quarter, deep in Central territory.

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“I’ve been ready for this game all year because it’s my last year,” Estrada said, who was playing in his fourth Bell Game. “The coaches had us in man-to-man and I baited him (Gutierrez) to throw it, and then I jumped the route and intercepted it.”

Brawley defense also refused to yield. The Wildcats had one last shot at scoring with 1:50 to go in the fourth quarter before Spartan senior defensive back Nehemiah Perez intercepted a pass.

“They showed us that pattern all game and I had broken it up once before,” Perez said. “I saw it coming again and I jumped it and sealed the win.”

Gutierrez was under pressure from the Spartans’ rush all game, something Peña attributed to his defense.

“They did a great job of giving him different looks all game and pressing him into throwing before he wanted to,” the Spartans’ coach said.

In defeat, Brawley Co-Head Coach Ray Vandiver – who played in three Bell Games himself – tried to keep his team in perspective.

“It’s the Bell Game and anything can happen,” Vandiver said.

“A mistake here and a mistake there makes a difference but the team prepared hard and I’m proud to be their coach, and now we need to get ready for the playoffs,” he said.

In addition to holding claim to the Victory Bell, Central (8-2, 4-0 IVL) also laid claim to the 2023 Imperial Valley League championship title, and will now join Brawley (8-2, 3-1 IVL) in awaiting Saturday’s announcement of the Division II CIF San Diego Section playoff pairings.

Source: https://t-tees.com
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