Cibola head coach Lucky Arvizo knew it might take a few snaps Friday night for his young team to get adjusted to varsity level football. But with a team like Horizon of Scottsdale lined up across from them, time was a luxury the Raiders could not afford.
The Huskies, who went winless as part of a gauntlet schedule last year, raced out to a big lead in the first half and beat Cibola, 44-7, at Horizon High.
"Our young players accimilating to the game speed was a big factor," Arvizo said via text message after the game. "But they got better as the game progressed."
Horizon (1-0) led 14-0 after its first two possessions and 37-0 at halftime, taking advantage of an inexperienced group for Cibola (0-1), which had more than half of their defensive unit starting their first varsity level game including all three linebackers.
The Raiders managed one score late in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Curtis Wolfe connected with tight end Mark Walton for a 7-yard touchdown. Receiver Gabriel Claudio, who was the team's top target a year ago, had seven receptions for 48 yards.
"[Tonight's game] will give us a good look at what we have to improve on," Arvizo said.
Horizon, despite going 0-10 last season, played four of the top 15 teams in the state over a seven-week stretch, including losing to eventual champion Centennial. The win tonight was the first for new head coach Ty Wisdom, who took over after coaching at Nebraska-Omaha two years ago and working at an assistant in the Phoenix area last season.
The Raiders play at Imperial next week before their home opener on Sept. 9 versus Southwest of El Centro. Horizon hosts Chaparral.
