Kofa picks up first win of year, beat San Luis 49-16

Despite having just 30 yards through the air, the Kofa Kings ran down the throat of the San Luis Sidewinders at Kofa.

The Kings (1-4 overall) were celebrating their homecoming and did not disappoint their crowd as they handed the Sidewinders (0-5) a 49-16 loss.

“We didn't play as good as we could've, but I am really happy with the improvement. We got a little better,” said San Luis coach Mark Shields of his team's 41st straight loss. “I had never seen the guys so exhausted which means they gave it their all. I was very happy with the way we practiced and it showed here on the field. We are really hurting for speed and we need to compensate for that. Our starting quarterback will be back next week. But we still need to get this streak off our back.”

Kofa's Timothy Baumgarner started the scoring frenzy on a 17-yard rumble less than 4 minutes into the game. Baumgarner led all rushers with eight carries for 121 yards and three scores from 17, 14, and 30 yards out, all in the first half.

“We played great. The O-line gave me some big holes to run through. Our blocking worked out a lot. We came together,” said Baumgarner. “We just need to keep running up the score, and our defense played pretty good, I thought.

Michael Klakulak, who had four carries for 67 yards, and added to the Kofa lead with a 10-yard score of his own. Chris Gotchie scored the Kings' final touchdown with a 27-yard battering run.

The Kings held San Luis scoreless until the Sidewinders final drive of the first half. A personal foul and a Manuel Gonzalez 20-yard run set up a 27-yard sprint for Javier Rodriguez to score a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half. Rodriguez ran in the two-point conversion to give San Luis a 49-8 deficit at the half. In the early four quarter, Gonzalez scored from one yard out and Luis Rodriguez punched in the two-point conversion to end the game's scoring at 49-16.

“The first half we played real well. We did a good job for the most part on blocking and tackling. We just need to play four quarters of football,” said Kings coach Kevin Moore. “Today was the first step for that. Everyone got to play a little and showed what they could do.”

Kofa will host the Yellowjackets of Palo Verde next Friday, and San Luis will host Calipatria at their homecoming.