Fast start propels Golden Valley to second straight win

Golden Valley junior Rudy Aramburu was exhausted, and it was only the first quarter.

It’s hard to blame Aramburu. All he did was intercept a pass and return it 30 yards to set up his own 11-yard touchdown run on the next play for the Cougars’ first score.

A few minutes later, he took a handoff and ran toward the right sideline but didn’t see an opening. So he reversed field, running all the way across the field and then downfield for a 66-yard touchdown.

Aramburu and the Cougars were off and running as they cruised to a 29-7 win over North Monterey County on Saturday night at Veterans Stadium.

“I think the long touchdown run was more exhausting,” said Aramburu, who finished with 133 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. “I was reading my blocks to the sideline, and then I didn’t see any more blocks. I saw open field to the left, and (quarterback) Armando (Muzquiz) had a good block. I had enough energy to get to the end zone.”

The Cougars (2-2) looked sharp early after their opening drive stalled and Shawn Betencourt’s 30-yard field-goal attempt hit the left goal post and bounced away.

Golden Valley scored on its next three possessions as a 21-yard touchdown pass from Muzquiz to Cadrian McDaniel was sandwiched between Aramburu’s two touchdown runs to give the Cougars a 22-0 lead.

“We had a great first quarter,” Golden Valley coach Dennis Stubbs said. “We had a lot of people missing, and that means Rudy is out there playing his butt off, and he started cramping up. We had to find another tailback (Colby McDaniel), and he did a good job. Our fullback was missing. We’re hoping we hear good news this week with (cornerback Isaiah) Montanez.”

Golden Valley’s defense played well without Montanez (dislocated finger) and safety Andrew Bernal (concussion). Betencourt was moved to cornerback and had an interception for the second straight game.

The Cougars limited the Condors (0-3) to 188 yards of offense and held them off the scoreboard until quarterback Jordan Graves scored on a five-yard run with 48 seconds left in the game.

The Cougars’ offense racked up 429 yards but struggled to finish drives in the final three quarters. Golden Valley ran four plays from the Condors’ 1-yard line midway through the second quarter and couldn’t punch the ball in the end zone.

Muzquiz passed for 202 yards but threw two interceptions to stop drives.

“We didn’t finish drives like we should have,” Stubbs said. “We have to work on it and get better.”

Senior running back Colby McDaniel, who’s not related to Cadrian, scored the Cougars’ final touchdown late in the third quarter on a two-yard run.

Golden Valley now can focus on Chavez (Stockton), which comes to Veterans Stadium on Friday. The Titans lost to West (Tracy) 57-42 last week.

“The kids are feeling good,” Stubbs said. “Chavez is a team with a nonstop offense. We have to have the ability to match them. The kids will be excited. It’s homecoming. There should be a lot of people here. Our guys will be up for the challenge.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Fast start propels Golden Valley to second straight win."