Imperial Tigers Continue Strong Start, Roll Past Palo Verde Yellow Jackets 35-6

IMPERIAL, Calif. — September 18, 2026 — The Imperial Tigers continued their strong start to the season Friday night, defeating the Palo Verde Yellow Jackets 35-6 in a physical matchup.

Palo Verde primarily operated out of a Flexbone offense, an old-school style of football that relies heavily on the run. Imperial head coach David Shaw said preparing for the Yellow Jackets required a different approach because of the uniqueness of their offense.

“There’s always different preparations when you play Palo Verde because we don’t ever see that kind of offense,” Shaw said.

The Yellow Jackets opened the game with a strong offensive drive, moving the ball into the red zone. However, on Palo Verde’s first pass attempt of the game, Imperial junior defensive back No. 1 Anthony Hellum intercepted the pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.

Palo Verde responded with a touchdown drive of its own, capped off by No. 5 Cesar Lainez. The Yellow Jackets attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful, leaving Imperial with the lead.

Imperial’s offense did not take its first snap until 9:21 remained in the second quarter. Despite the long wait, Shaw said he was not overly concerned.

“I was not really worried. I just wanted to get the ball. You know, you get anxious when you don’t have it,” Shaw said.

Once the Tigers got the ball, their offense came out firing. Imperial scored five touchdowns in the game, including one defensive touchdown, with four different players finding the end zone.

Junior running back Deren Hueso recorded two rushing touchdowns, while sophomore receiver Iker Rubio added a receiving touchdown. Junior Trey Ruiz also scored a receiving touchdown as the Tigers continued to pull away from the Yellow Jackets.

Shaw was pleased to see multiple players contribute offensively.

“It was nice to see everyone with the ball, spreading the love,” Shaw said.

The Tigers’ defense and offense combined to control the remainder of the game, as Imperial pulled away for the 35-6 victory.

With the loss, Palo Verde falls to 3-2 on the season and will head into its bye week.

Imperial improves to 4-1 and will also have a bye week before returning to action in Imperial Valley League play against the Central Spartans on Oct. 2 at Shimamoto-Simpson Stadium in Imperial.