For the ninth straight time, the Governor’s Hat is changing hands, this time to the Madera Coyotes after a 56-33 victory Friday at Toro Stadium.
The two schools renewed its rivalry two years ago, and the Governor’s cowboy hat has switched hands every year. Madera won the first game of the renewal in 2024, 48-35, but Merced won last year, 43-34. In the past nine years, the team that has won has scored more than 40 points eight times. However, the losing team has scored more than 30 points four times.
The Governor’s Hat game dates back to the 1955 when Governor Goodwin Knight attended a game between the two schools, and gave his cowboy hat to the winning team. Ever since, the hat has been going back and forth between the two schools with each game written on the hat.
The Coyotes took advantage of three early turnovers and a dominant running game to get the hat back.
Anthony Estrada rushed for 192 yards on 15 carries, averaging 12.8 yards per carry, and scored a receiving touchdown. Darius White rushed for 139 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry.
As a team, the Coyotes rushed for 383 yards on 43 carries. Last week, quarterback Elias Mena threw for more than 300 yards. This week, he wasn’t needed too often. He was 10-of-14 for 138 yards and three touchdowns.
The Coyotes gained 521 yards of total offense while Merced gained 448 with 197 on the ground and 251 in the air.
The Bears opened the game with a pair of 22 yard runs, but Lawrence Flores recovered a fumble at the Coyote six, and returned it out to the 24.
The Coyotes were forced to punt, but so did the Bears.
Mena opened Madera’s second drive with a 13-yard run. Four straight carries from Smith went for 39 yards, including a 23-yard run, to the Bears’ one. Jayden Martinez ran it in from the wildcat for a 7-0 lead after the first of eight Carlos Ochoa extra points.
The Bears drove inside the Madera 30 yard line after a couple of long runs. On fourth-and-five, Flores picked off a Bear’s pass, and returned it 52 yards to the Merced 39-yard line.
It took the Coyotes eight plays to score. Three runs by Estrada gained 18 yards to the 21. Two more Estrada runs got the Coyotes inside the 15. After Mena ran for 10 on a quarterback draw, Smith scored from two yards out after a jump cut to the left for a 14-0 lead.
Merced gave the ball to its back four straight times for 17 yards. On the fifth carry, Jayden Silva punched the ball loose, and Matthew Prince recovered. He took the fumble 20 yards to the Merced 27.
Smith and Estrada alternated for 25 yards to the two. Mena rolled to his right, and found an opening for the touchdown, and a 21-0 lead with five minutes left in the half.
The Bears used four pass plays to gain 52 yards, with the final 25 going into the end zone for a touchdown to cut the Coyote lead to 14.
The Coyotes didn’t wait too long to extend the lead. On the third play of the drive, from the Coyote 46, Smith got the carry off right tackle. He cut to the left at midfield, went behind Flores and Silva down the left sideline for a 54-yard touchdown with two minutes left in the half for a 28-7 lead.
The Bears quickly drove down the field, using passes of 17 and 29 yards to get to the Madera 3. They scored on the next play, but the kick was blocked to cut Madera’s lead to 28-13 at the half.
The Coyotes scored on the first drive of the second half. The big play was an Estrada run from the Coyote 27. He went up the middle, and cut to the left at the 33-yard line. He went down the sideline for a 63-yard gain to the 10. Two plays later, Mena found Estrada out of the backfield, and Estrada went into the left corner of the end zone for a 35-13 lead.
The Bears came right back with a 28-yard run, and a 35-yard pass into the end zone to cut the lead to 15.
Smith carried four straight times on the next Coyote drive, gaining 19 yards with a personal foul penalty added on to the Merced 44. Estrada gained 19 yards up the middle to the 25.
Mena hit Martinez for nine, and Brett Qualls for eight to the fourth. Smith, out of the wildcat, went up the middle for a four-yard touchdown. Ochoa’s point after hit the left upright, and went in, for a 42-20 lead with 5:44 left in the third quarter.
After an initial first down, Brian Qualls and Martinez sacked the Merced quarterback. On the next play, Prince picked off a Merced pass, and returned it to midfield.
On the next play, Mena hit Flores on a quick slant to the right. Flores went across the field, and into the end zone for a touchdown, and a 49-20 lead.
The Coyotes’ defense forced a turnover on downs on the next drive, but the Coyotes mishandled the snap, and Merced recovered at midfield.
The Bears drove to the Madera 11 after an 11-yard pass and a pass interference penalty. Three straight incomplete passes turned the ball over on downs.
Estrada closed out the third quarter with a run up the middle, and a bounce to the right for 27-yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Estrada did the same thing for 26 yards to the Merced 30.
Three plays later, Mena hit Flores, on fourth-and-one, on the left for a first down. Flores broke a tackle at the 10, and followed Brett Qualls into the end zone for a 56-20 lead, and institute the running clock.
Merced added two late touchdowns, the second after a Madera fumble and on the final play of the game, for the 56-33 Coyote win.