YUMA, AZ – The Youngker Roughriders pulled through against the Yuma Criminals for their first win of the season, 40-19, Friday night.
After seven-consecutive losses this season for the Roughriders (1-7), being able to win against the Criminals (1-6) has restored hope.
“This is what we have been trying to get done for seven weeks," Youngker head coach Kelly Epley said. "You start worrying about it asking yourself if you’re ever going to get a win."
Through the first quarter it seemed like the teams might be in for a close finish. The Criminals answered Youngker's opening score with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Isaac Ignacio to Damian Miller. But the second and third quarter proved to be the turning point of the game. Not only did the Roughriders not allow a touchdown, but they scored four touchdowns themselves over the course of the middle two quarters.
“I want to get that up tempo passing game going,” Yuma head coach Curt Weber said.
This was something the Criminals were able to demonstrate late when they got the ball to receivers Joe Herrera and Erick Flores.
Throughout the game Yuma threw plenty of long passes, but they were always a couple feet out of bounds or over or underthrown. Not in Herrera’s situation.
Herrera made an almost impossible catch from Ignacio to stay in the end zone by mere inches. Though the extra point wasn’t successful it still closed the gap a little. It was the second of Igancio's three touchdowns passes on the night with the third one coming to Flores later in the fourth quarter.
“We are building this team little by little, piece by piece,” Weber said. “We didn’t quit, we improved on throwing the ball and we just have to keep at it.”
Youngker running back Greg Dotstry scored three touchdowns, accumulating a total of 93 rushing yards. Dotstry sort of compiled yards throughout the game, getting some in short bursts and others in longer chunks.
