By Tim Peterson
(El Monte) – It had been over 21 months since Arroyo had played a football game. The Knights were chomping at the bit and it showed in a 42-13 rout of Ganesha Friday night at B.L. Bergstrom Stadium.
Arroyo built a 42-7 lead by halftime and cruised the rest of the way as there was a running clock the entire second half. Knight quarterback Omar Navarro showed his versatility as he threw for two scores and ran for another. Ismael Ceja led a strong running attack with two touchdowns on the ground.
Arroyo went up 7-0 in the first quarter. The Knights took advantage of a long punt return and set up shop at the Ganesha 13-yard line. On the first play Ceja went 13 yards for the score.
Ganesha bounced right back on its next possession with a big play. Giant quarterback Jesse Carmona kept it, went up the middle and outran the Arroyo secondary for a 70-yard touchdown to get even.
The tie didn’t last long though. The Knights drove 61 yards on nine plays. Nate Guardado scored on a one-yard run to cap it. Arroyo took the 14-7 and never looked back.
The Knights broke it wide open in the second quarter. Ceja scored his second of the night on a one-yard run to cap a 73-yard drive for a 21-7 lead. On the next series Guardado hauled in a 21-yard strike from Navarro and with 5:22 left in the half it was 28-7.
But Arroyo’s second quarter wasn’t over. Again the Knights started in Ganesha territory and again they seized the opportunity. From the Ganesha 38 they moved down to the 21. From there Navarro threw a strike to Rueben Munoz in the corner of the end zone who hauled it in for a 35-7 lead. The catch by Munoz was great, the throw by Navarro was better.
The Giants again failed to move the ball on offense and left time on the clock for Arroyo. Munoz had a catch and carry down to the Ganesha one yard line. From there Navarro did it himself on a one-yard burst with just 33 ticks left on the first half clock. 42-7 Knights. Game, set, match.
The game flowed quickly in the second half with a running clock the entire time. Ganesha managed to score one more time as Carmona got loose again. This time he caught a pass from Joshua Torres and scooted 69 yards for a touchdown to account for the final score.
Navarro threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 90 yards and a score on 10 carries. Ceja finished with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Victor Prado entered the game in the fourth quarter for Arroyo and bulled his way for 56 yards on six runs as he left defenders in his wake.
Carmona had a good night for Ganesha but his two big plays were the only big plays for the Giants.
The night belonged to Arroyo and after waiting since November 8, 2019 to get back on the field it seemed only fitting that it would be a good Knight.
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Arroyo looked Ok, they only have one receiver who has decent hands, the rest drop too many balls. When they play better teams everyone’s going to pick on the tiny corner they have and that will be a problem. Their starting Quarterback looked good, didn’t see much throwing from the backup QB but he did look like he has wheels on him.
Sorry I’m relatively new to the SGV, but enjoy high school football. Thanks for having this website.
Based on what I see from Ganesha High on social media this loss seems like a tremendous upset. Ganesha was undefeated last year and has one of the best coaches and players in the state correct?