Prep Football Team Previews: Imperial Tigers

IMPERIAL, Calif (KYMA) - Finishing No. 1 is the goal for the Imperial Tigers this season.

After back-to-back 9-1 regular seasons and eight consecutive playoff appearances, not including the COVID-19 season, Imperial has established itself as one of the Imperial Valley's premier football programs.

But there is one accomplishment the Tigers have been unable to check off the list in quite some time: an Imperial Valley League championship.

Imperial's last IVL title came in 2015. Now, seventh-year head coach David Shaw and his team are focused on ending the decade-long drought.

"We just want to build brick by brick, but we also want to get ready for league, and we want to make sure that we can try to get over the hump and win league this year," Shaw said. "That's our main goal."

Shaw believes the key to getting over that hump starts with focusing on what the Tigers can control.

"I always tell the kids we got to take care of business here at our practice, not worry about everybody else," Shaw said. "I feel that we're very talented, and I feel if we do what we need to do and just worry about ourselves, I think the games are going to play themselves out."

For junior running back Deren Hueso, the Tigers’ chemistry could be another factor in their pursuit of an IVL championship.

"A lot of us grew up together, so we came up playing for Imperial Tigers, and then we changed to like 760 Elite," Hueso said. "From there, we came up playing with each other, and obviously we had that bond in football. But I feel like our bond came from just outside, just hanging out and building that friendship. When football came around, it was kind of like, we got each other's backs."

Imperial will also look to replace production from last season after receivers Mario Gaxiola and Gio Robles graduated.

Junior wide receiver Trey Ruiz is expected to take on a larger role in the offense.

"I just do my job, you know, help my team, run my route, get my block, do my assignment as best as I could," Ruiz said. "Whenever I do my job and everybody else does their job, we come together as one and we get the job done."

On defense, junior middle linebacker Gianni Robles is looking to make an impact after a shoulder injury ended his season last year.

Robles said his biggest strength is stopping the run, but he understands success will require contributions from the entire team.

"Everybody else has to play their role," Robles said. "My best contributor, you could say, is stopping the run. I think that's what I succeed most at. But also everybody has to play a factor. It's not just one person, and everybody has to do their role to get the job done."

With a renewed focus and returning players ready to build on last season, the Tigers are looking to carry their 1-0 start into league play and finally capture the IVL championship that has eluded them since 2015.