9 STRAIGHT: DEFENSE DOES IT FOR FRIARS

By Jay Leon Guerrero

The dynasty continues for the Father Duenas Friars football program after winning their ninth straight high school football league championship.

The Friars defeated the George Washington Geckos 5-0 in a defensive chess match to win the ISA championship trophy Saturday night.

Much like their regular season game last month, the defense on both sides shined to keep the opposing offenses out of the end zone. The Friars struck first with a safety by defensive star Isaiha Arriola.

The safety was set up by the best punt of his life by FD utility player Hyan Mesa. Mesa’s punt started at midfield and bounced out-of-bounds at the GW 1-yard line.

Who would’ve thought a punt would be the biggest play of the game!

The Geckos had their backs against the wall, and Arriola made his way to the backfield to record the safety in the second quarter to put FD ahead.

“I just wanted to put our defense in a good position. Thankfully, the ball went out-of-bounds right at that 1-yard line,” said Mesa.

The Geckos found some momentum on offense with quarterback Avion Gumataotao finding offensive MVP Rayn Rios on two big pass plays of 32 yards and 18 yards to put GW in the red zone.

FD’s defense stood its ground and made key tackles as the clock ran down to hold on to a 2-0 advantage by halftime.

Field Goal Drive

The FD offense got things rolling in the third quarter with quarterback Kaynin McIntosh going to receivers Trey Blas and Ian Castro for a pair of first downs.

Running back Jaron Meno rushed for a big chunk of yards, a 14-yard gain to set up a 24-yard field goal by kicker David Leon Guerrero that barely snuck in the right upright.

After three quarters, FD was hanging on to a 5-0 lead. The Geckos needed a big play, but FD’s defense, again, came up with a turnover in the fourth quarter with linebacker Lavin Santos getting a sack fumble, which was recovered by none other than Arriola.

With the clock ticking, Meno rushed for a 12-yard first down, and the “Three Degrees” power running by Tristan Burgos got another first down to put the Friars inside the Gecko five yard line. The Geckos used all three timeouts, but time eventually expired as the Friar Nation rushed the field in victory.

“It was a game of who was going to make the least mistakes, and thankfully, we were the football team tonight to make the least mistakes,” said FD head coach Bruce Meno.

“GW is a well coached team with coach Ryan (Rios) and his staff. The Geckos are always a team that gives us a good challenge and a team we have to work hard to prepare for,” added coach Meno. “It’s a special win for all of our seniors. Their leadership was instrumental for our success this year, so I am happy for them.”

Defensive MVP Rayn Rios had a game-high 8 tackles for GW and had two receptions for 50 yards. Ty Leon Guerrero had an interception and two tackles for the Geckos. Seth Merfalen had five tackles, two were behind the line of scrimmage.

Justin Sablan led the Geckos in rushing with 34 yards on seven carries. Gumtaotao had four completions for 56 yards.

FD’s Arriola had five and a half tackles, a safety, and a fumble recovery to anchor the maroon and gold defense. Mason Whitaker had three tackles and an interception, while Santos and Joevince Meno recorded sacks for the Friars.

Jaron Meno led the ground game for FD with 58 yards. Blas caught six passes for 37 yards. McIntosh had 11 completed passes for a total of 85 yards.

“It feels good to continue this championship run,” said Arriola. “Our fellow alumni started this, and we wanted to continue it for them.”

Quest for 10
“The talent looks good for next year. We have 20-plus underclassmen. The talent is there, and I’m excited to watch them grow and show their potential next year,” said Coach Meno. The winning streak moves up to 81 straight and will hold there until 2025.

3rd place game

The Southern Dolphins took the consolation game Friday night 30-6 over the Guam High Panthers. Their regular season record of 5-2 was the best in school history. They had finished 3rd once before.

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