Defensive dominance by Rio Mesa held Channel Islands to only three first downs in the second half and seven total for the game. The Spartans offense scored the final 26 points on the evening in front of a huge homecoming crowd to send their students and alumni home happy.
Rio Mesa piled up 287 rushing yards on 45 attempts, lead by 90 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns by senior running back Martel Tyler. Senior running back Matt Espinoza had 88 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown, and senior quarterback Kado Brown had 88 yards on 14 carries with one rushing and one passing touchdown.
Channel Islands scored on the opening drive of the game as junior running back Aoese Oto powered through the Rio Mesa defenders, shaking off multiple tackles on a 30-yard touchdown. The run capped off a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive that took up the first 4:11 of the game.
