The Valley’s Best; Brawley Secures #1 Spot in IVL with 49-28 Victory over imperial

IMPERIAL – The Brawley Union High School football team powered through a challenging first half to defeat the Imperial Tigers 49-28 in an Imperial Valley League (IVL) clash on Friday night at Shimamoto-Simpson Stadium. The win secured Brawley the top spot in the Imperial Valley league, previously Imperial was #1 in the league and undefeated but there undefeated streak and #1 spot had come to an end once brawley took that title away from them. They will now look to clinch an outright title in next week’s Bell Game against rival Central Union.

Imperial opened the game with a quick touchdown, taking a 7-0 lead on its first possession. The Wildcats quickly responded with senior Sergio Garcia breaking off a 22-yard jet-sweep on their opening play. The teams went back and forth in the first half, entering halftime tied 14-14.

During the break, Garcia and the team captains spoke to their teammates to rally the Wildcats. “At halftime, the captains and myself took initiative to talk to our team and make sure that they knew this is a dawg fight,” Garcia said. “We just have to get our minds right and know what we bring to the table. We said someone was gonna have to step up, and luckily for us, that someone happened to be the whole team.”

The Wildcats exploded in the third quarter, scoring 24 unanswered points. On Brawley’s first play of the second half, Garcia took a pitch and sprinted 79 yards down the sideline, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Matthew Gutierrez. “I saw the play opening pre-snap,” Garcia recalled. “I followed my blockers and saw the cutback lane and took it.”

Brawley’s defense stepped up following the touchdown, forcing Imperial’s first three-and-out of the game. After a short punt, the Wildcats took over at the Tigers’ 28-yard line, and Gutierrez connected with Garcia for a 28-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 28-14.

The Wildcats maintained their momentum, driving 56 yards in seven plays for another score, capped by a 16-yard touchdown run from Gutierrez. On the following series, Gutierrez blitzed Imperial quarterback Jayden Ayala, forcing a fumble and recovering it at the Tigers’ 11-yard line. He was injured on the play, and senior Alec Valdez stepped in to finish the drive with a four-yard touchdown run, putting Brawley up 42-14 at the end of the third quarter.

Although Imperial added two more touchdowns in the final period, the deficit was too much to overcome. Garcia’s confidence was evident throughout the game. “I came into this game really confident. I knew my team was the better team and we were gonna come out victorious,” he said. “Even at halftime, when we were tied up, I was upset and told my team this is not us and we need to pick it up and do what we came to do—and the second half showed.”

The Wildcats now prepare to host Central Union at Warne Field for the Bell Game, with a chance to claim their first outright IVL title since 2017.