Tuba City overpowers Gallup in Saturday night showdown

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

TUBA CITY

The Tuba City Warriors put on a stellar offensive showcase Saturday night, defeating the Gallup Bengals 38-8 in front of the home bleachers packed with fans draped in Warrior green.

Gallup opened the game with promise, holding the ball for nearly eight minutes on the opening drive. Aided by penalties, the Bengals marched into Warrior territory, but the offense stalled and turned the ball over on downs.

On the very first play of their opening possession, Tuba City junior quarterback Cole Dash connected with senior wide receiver Ryan Benally for a 40-yard strike down the left sideline, setting the tone for the Warriors’ night. But penalties— including a called-back touchdown on a false start—kept the scoreboard quiet until sophomore running back Charles Bright III broke loose for a long touchdown run to open the scoring in the second quarter.

Moments later, Dash found junior receiver Timil Yazzie on a 43-yard pass, and after a successful point-after, the Warriors extended their lead to 16-0. Gallup threatened late in the half, reaching the red zone, but a failed fourth-down conversion left them empty-handed. The Bengals did get a spark when junior linebacker Truitt Lewis intercepted Dash, but again, the offense couldn’t capitalize allowing the Warriors to go into halftime ahead 16-0.

Second half: Warriors take control

The Warriors wasted no time after the break. Dash connected with junior Darrell Crump for another touchdown to stretch the lead to 22-0. Gallup responded by recovering a fumble on a punt, but the Bengals offense went four-and-out once again, failing to convert opportunities.

From there, Tuba City’s defense clamped down, limiting Gallup’s running game and forcing incomplete passes as the Bengals cycled quarterbacks. Senior Elijah Eddie came in during the second half to provide a passing option but dropped balls and a lack of rhythm kept the Bengals scoreless.

The Warriors padded their lead in the fourth quarter, as senior running back Shaden Dixon capped a drive with a rushing touchdown to push it to 30-0. Minutes later, Dash and Crump hooked up again, this time on a catch-and-run where Crump slipped past a defender and raced to the end zone for a 38-0 lead.

Gallup finally broke through in the closing minutes, with Lewis punching in a short-yardage score to avoid the shutout, making it 38-8.

Coaches’ reactions

Warriors head coach Kalani Simeona, now in his second year, admitted the start wasn’t pretty. “The first half was pretty messy with all the penalties as that kept us off the scoreboard in the first quarter,” Simeona said. “We worked with these guys all offseason, so we know what we’re capable of. We just need to clean up the mistakes.”

Simeona noted the depth in his backfield and the program’s summer commitment.

“Something I realize is we are deep at the running back position. We just rotated and ran the ball,” he said. “All summer long was fantastic—we had an average of 35 kids per day, four days a week. That was phenomenal.”

Looking ahead, Simeona said the Warriors’ schedule will test them with former 3A rivals.

“Next week is a good opportunity to clean up our game as we get ready to face competition against some old 3A opponents like Page, Ganado and Window Rock,” Simeona said. “I want Tuba to get back into 3A. The level we’re playing at is top notch.”

The Warriors (1-0) now prepare to face cross street rival Greyhills next week before a gauntlet of 3A North foes: Ganado (Sept. 5), Page (Sept. 12), and Window Rock (Sept. 19).

The Warriors then open 2A North 2 play at home against Alchesay on Sept. 26, followed by back-to-back road games at Valley Sanders (Oct. 3) and Hopi (Oct. 10). The season closes with another matchup at home against Greyhills on Oct. 17.

Simeona noted the scheduling of Greyhills twice.

“We were originally supposed to open with Rough Rock, but they had to cancel because they didn’t have enough players. After that, Navajo Prep fell through, so we had to slot in Greyhills. Really, I wish we could have faced Navajo Prep, but we had to make do with what was available for our schedule.” he said.

On the other side, Gallup head coach Lawrence Garcia pointed to tackling and missed opportunities as major setbacks.

“The game started off okay, but it went bad in the second half,” Garcia said. “Tackling was a major issue for us. The Tuba City offense was good, but our tackling made it worse.”

Garcia explained the quarterback rotation between sophomore Tristan Garcia and senior Elijah Eddie.

“Tristan is more mobile and more of a runner, but we brought in Elijah because he can distribute the ball well,” Garcia said. “But it doesn’t help when receivers drop passes. We haven’t come together yet, and it shows.”

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