Skyline used the run to defeat Dobson in its regional matchup on Friday night. The Coyotes defeated the Mustangs 51-7.

It was a strong showing on both sides of the ball for the Coyotes (3-5). Skyline’s defense started the scoring early.

On Dobson’s second offensive play of the game, the Coyote defense forced a fumble that was recovered and returned for a touchdown by senior Zach Kreins.

That touchdown would be the first of six unanswered scores by the Coyotes.

While Kreins is usually making plays on defense, he also impacted the game on special teams. Kreins recorded two blocked punts, putting the Coyotes deep in Dobson territory.

“I just wanted to get in and get my job done,” Kreins said.

Kreins and the Coyote defense was successful in doing that. Skyline held Dobson (1-7) to only seven points and 97 yards of total offense.

“Everyone did their assignments, everyone did their job and we made plays happen,” Kreins said.

Friday’s game was the third time this season Skyline has held its opponent to seven or fewer points.

The Skyline defense made its presence felt but the Coyotes offense was just as dominant. Skyline recorded 371 yards of total offense.

The majority of the offense came on the ground. Skyline racked up 342 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Skyline senior Aaron Wood accounted for 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns, one of which came on a 40-yard punt return.

Wood wasn’t the only one picking up rushing yards for the Coyotes. Junior running back Tarik Deeb recorded 85 yards on six carries while junior Ethan Truesdell scored two touchdowns only carrying the ball three times for 68 yards.

“Our o-line just got after it tonight,” Wood said. “Any play was working because they got off the ball fast enough.”

Skyline rushed the ball a total of 32 times but only attempted six passes throughout the entire game.

“We just wanted to pound the ball, get some yards for our running backs and see what our o-line could do,” Skyline’s senior quarterback Steven Castle said.

The team was pleased with its performance on Friday, but Skyline’s biggest focus has been on its upcoming regional game against Mountain View.

Skyline head coach Angelo Paffumi said Friday’s game was just a stepping stone towards the Coyotes' next opponent.

“It’s all about what we do next week against Mountain View,” Paffumi said.

Senior Solomon Buchanan echoed his coach's view.

“We just had to put on a show for Mountain View and show them what we really could do,” Buchanan said. “That’s a game we’ve been wanting for a while now.”

Despite a 3-5 record overall, Skyline is 2-1 in regional play. The Coyotes realize the importance of their regional matchups.

“These [regional wins] are big,” Wood said. “If we’ve got a shot at making the playoffs we definitely need to win out.”

Skyline’s final two games are against region foes Mountain View and Mesa. With a subpar overall record, ensuring victories in these final regional matchups is crucial to Skyline’s playoff hopes.