Do you remember the El Toro Bowl?
The annual junior college football game for Arizona Western College may have come and gone after the school dropped the sport in 2018.
Another football bowl game came to Yuma on Friday, even if only for one night.
The Salad Bowl was played for the second straight year between the Yuma Catholic High School Shamrocks and the Palma HS Chieftains of Salinas, Calif. Yuma, the Winter Vegetable Capital of the World vs. Salinas, the Salad Bowl of the World.
Officials for the two schools came up with the idea for the game as Yuma and Salinas have a longtime relationship in the agriculture industry. Farmworkers and farm owners move between Yuma and Monterey counties depending on the ag season.
The 'Rocks won last year's game in Salinas. Students and fans wore shirts for the matchup they call "The Farmers Battle".
When it was all said and done on Friday, Yuma Catholic senior running back Hunter Hancock returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and he added a 24-yard rushing TD as the Shamrocks won 21-7.
The other Rocks score came earlier in the game when YC senior linebacker Rocky Stallworth intercepted Palma quarterback Patrick Driscoll and took it back 64 yards for a pick-six.
YC players and coaches said they've enjoyed the friendly rivalry between the Yuma and Salinas schools. The Shamrocks are always looking to test themselves against the best competition and the Chieftains won the 2023 CIF Division 4-A state championship.
"I know both communities think this is a big game so it's nice for the win," Yuma Catholic Coach Rhett Stallworth told KAWC.
Last year, Palma students and school community members welcomed the Yuma Catholic players and coaches. This year, it was YC's turn.
"It's been a fun experience going there (Salinas) last year and now them coming here," Hancock said. "It's just a cool rivalry we have.
