Ground-bound Vaqs fall short of comeback

Deflating as the interception and subsequent score were, Glendale wouldn’t quit and answered right back with an 80-yard, 11-play drive to pull within 27-14 on Broughton’s two-yard run at the 9:42 mark of the fourth quarter.

Glendale’s defense then forced a three-and-out by Valley, leading to another workmanlike drive, this time for 70 yards, helped out by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Broughton cut the lead to 27-21 with a 24-yard burst with 3:49 left to play and a pair of timeouts remaining in the Vaqueros’ back pocket.

The beginning of the end for Glendale’s hope of getting the ball back with a chance to win came when its onside kick was secured by Valley’s James Lupeheke at the Glendale 48-yard line, setting up a Monarchs drive that ended with a 21-yard field goal with 14 seconds on the clock.

“We had to go for the onside kick,” Rome said. “We felt that if we used the two timeouts we had remaining and kicked it deep, they could have killed more clock. With an offense that had to run, we felt we had to get the ball back sooner and give ourselves more of a chance.”

Valley scored the first 14 points of the second half unanswered to take control, but held only a 13-7 lead at halftime after Glendale stopped the Monarchs on four straight plays on its own one-yard line as the first half expired.

“I’m real happy defensively,” Rome said. “I thought we played pretty good and we stopped the long pass plays that had been hurting us.”

Glendale also got an interception in the third quarter from Mario Rodriguez and a big boost on special teams when Osa Aikhionbare returned a punt 67 yards for a 7-0 lead with 3:24 left in the first quarter.

The Vaqueros struggled with field position throughout the first half, beginning three of their five possessions inside their own 20, including two drives that began at the eight- and three-yard lines, respectively.

Aside from Aikhionbare’s kickoff return, each Vaqueros possession ended in a punt, including punts from their own nine- and six-yard lines. The first set up a 65-yard, seven-play drive that saw the Monarchs take a 13-7 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Michael Johnson with 4:07 to play in the opening half after Valley had pulled to within 7-6 at the 9:39 mark of the second quarter on a two-yard Johnson run.