CLOSER LOOK: Rubidoux’s Christian Arroyo
Take a closer look at Rubidoux senior Christian Arroyo and you’ll see a player who was ready when his number was called.
The backup to one of the CIF-Southern Section’s top running backs, Arroyo stepped up in Week 10 with a career-defining game, filling in for Joshua Green as the Falcons (9-1 overall, 6-0 Mountain Valley) held on to beat La Sierra on Friday, Oct. 30.
The 6-foot, 190-pound running back and linebacker had 26 carries for 155 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, and also recovered a fumble in the win.
Rubidoux, without Green after a sprained ankle sustained in Week 9 had him sidelined, has won nine consecutive games and enters the CIFSS Division 12 playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
We caught up with Arroyo after Rubidoux’s 34-26 win over La Sierra.
InlandFieldhouse.com: You knew you were going to get the most touches of your career tonight. How did you handle that knowledge?
Christian Arroyo: “I just had to focus every day at practice. I made sure I really had that connection with everything, learning the plays because it’s like I had to step into a new position, playing the H-back. I really knew that I had to have that connection with my quarterback on the handoffs and with my O-Line, my fullback, everything. We just worked. And we worked and worked and worked it in practice, and things like the sled… we push the sled hundreds of yards every single day. Every day at practice we do conditioning, conditioning, sled, on top of conditioning, just to prepare for moments like this. And I think that’s what got us here. It’s hard work. My O-Line, they blocked their asses off for us. They really did a good job.”
IF: To step in a perform so well to win the league title, what’s that mean for you personally?
CA: “It means everything to me. I mean, just to share this moment with my brothers; I couldn’t ask for anything more because going into this game we had injuries. We’re all hurt. It’s Week 10, so to come out here and perform the way we did, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
IF: What was Joshua Green saying to you on the sidelines when you had a moment to listen?
CA: “He was just being a captain. He’s there to support his team whether he’s playing on the field or not, and we have a brotherhood together. This team, we’re really brothers. Like, even without football, we’re brothers. We’ve really built this bond, and honestly, the reason we’re here tonight with the league championship is our brotherhood.”
IF: What’s this team’s mentality going forward?
CA: “This is just the start. We’re going to go recover and we’re going to be ready. We’re ready for whoever we’re going to play.”
IF: Has this season been a success?
CA: “Absolutely. I think with the offensive weapons we have, our offensive line, our defense, our special teams, everything is coming together. We have a nine-game win streak. I mean, we really turned it around.”
