"I was a little timid going into last year, but this season was a little different because I knew what to expect," Hall said. "My confidence really shot up because I knew what I could achieve at the varsity level."

Everyone else now knew what to expect from Hall as well. He was the focal point of opposing defenses, which constantly keyed on the junior tailback. But it didn't matter. He still racked up 1,445 total yards from scrimmage — 1,244 rushing and 201 receiving— along with 11 touchdowns. These accomplishments combined with his momentum-changing playmaking ability helped earn Hall the 2006 The Sun/Yuma Rotary Club's Offensive Player of the Year.

He went over the century mark in rushing yards in eight of 10 games this season. He particularly excelled in the all-important region games averaging 157 yards on the ground.

When the season ended, he had staked claim to three Cibola career records— rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and points scored. With another year to play, he'll have a chance to put those milestones out of reach for future players.

"This was a real good season for me. I had a lot of fun," Hall said. "I had a good group of guys to work with. I had some great captains and a great offensive line."

"Brandon leads by example, which is just as good as leading vocally," Arvizo said. "His teammates and his peers really respect him by what he does on and off the field."

"He's a major role model for a lot of football players, including myself," Ramirez said of Blabe. "My freshman year I felt that my season didn't go too well and when he found out I was going to quit, he came into the weight room and encouraged me to stick with it."

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound nose guard made the 2005 All-Yuma Region team as a sophomore. And all he did this year as a junior was tally 13 quarterback sacks and 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, despite facing double-teams every week. For those accomplishments, Ramirez is the 2006 The Sun/Yuma Rotary Club's Defensive Player of the Year.

"(When Ramirez was a freshman) I watched his quickness, what he did on the field and how he moved," Blabe said. "He just had all the attributes of a really fine football player.

The highlight of Ramirez's season and football career to this point occurred when the Rams ended a four-year drought against rival Yuma Catholic on Oct. 27 to win the 2A West League title.

Ramirez played an instrumental role in slowing down the Shamrocks' high-powered offense, recording two sacks and an additional pair of tackles for a loss in Antelope's 13-7 victory.

"I had never seen my teammates or myself so pumped up," Ramirez said. "That night it wasn't about my stats, it was about trying to take the win home."

"People didn't know anything about Gil last year, and he didn't know anything about himself," Blabe said. "This year, you better have known about him or he was going to be visiting your quarterback up close and personal."

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