YUMA, Ariz. – What a wild ride the division 2 section 1 race has been! Kofa, San Luis, Gila Ridge and Cibola have all played gritty matches against one another for a crack at the section crown. All these contenders have at least one section loss and all are currently ranked in the top seven of the entire division.
With only a handfull of regular season games left, all these teams may be worthy of a playoff birth. But with the Arizona Interscholastic Association only allowing one Gila Valley team into the playoffs last year, that remains to be seen.
The Kofa Kings know first hand what it feels like to be left out, as they were last season; with only one division loss last winter. This year, they can win the section outright and get an automatic playoff birth if they win their last three Gila Valley games; which inlcude a trip later this week to Gila Ridge and their season finale at home against San Luis.
But on Wednesday night, they would try not to overlook crosstown rival Yuma. This is a team that Kofa has dominated in recent history under coach Jamie Nicewander.
The trend would continue. Out the gate, Kofa would use their offensive attack to press the Criminals with a barrage of shots. By halftime, Kofa would get out to a 6-nil lead.
The second half wouldn’t be much slower, as Kofa tacked on five additional goals to their tally. Cristian Villegas, Gavin Nicewander and Emmanuel Fuentes would each come away with hat tricks in the contest.
The 11-nil win sets Kofa up for it’s biggest match yet, as they take on Gila Ridge at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium this Friday night. The match will decide who will stay on top of the Gila Valley heap! The match begins at 6 p.m. Mountain Time.