The Monarchs turned an early defensive read into the game’s first touchdown, then leaned on pressure and ball disruption to make a 13–7 lead hold against the Gryphons. It was a low-margin contest shaped by turnovers and stalled drives, rather than sustained passing production: the Monarchs managed 118 yards through the air and converted only three of 16 third downs, but their defense repeatedly gave the offense another chance to stay ahead.

Larry Smallwood supplied the opening swing. With pressure from Wayne Rodriquez, Gregory Boswell’s pass was intercepted by the Monarchs linebacker and returned 27 yards to the Gryphons’ 7. Omer Vasquez needed one play from there, finding Richard Scott for a seven-yard touchdown. Jerry Andrews added the extra point for a 7–0 lead.

The Gryphons answered after halftime by exploiting a Monarchs mistake. Stephen Matthew intercepted Vasquez and returned the ball 22 yards to the Monarchs’ 13, turning the field position into a short scoring opportunity. Boswell connected with Terry Bryant for a seven-yard touchdown, and Roy Keane’s extra point tied it at 7. Matthew’s pick was one of two interceptions thrown by Vasquez; the Monarchs’ passing attack finished with 22 completions on 41 attempts.

The response was less about a sudden offensive breakout than about winning the next exchange. A second Vasquez interception, this one by Robert Rodriquez, interrupted a Monarchs possession. But the Gryphons could not cash in on their chances: Keane missed a 47-yard field goal wide left, and Andrews followed with a 51-yarder that restored the Monarchs’ lead, 10–7, late in the third quarter.

The ball continued to change hands. The Monarchs recorded three forced fumbles and recovered two, with Tom Hunsucker, Gary Woods and Harold Pearce each credited with a forced fumble. One came on a short Gryphons completion to Timothy Mayers, which Larry Carrizales recovered. Pearce later recovered a Michael Messina fumble in the fourth quarter, halting another Gryphons push. Messina still led the game’s ground production, rushing for 101 yards and adding 26 receiving yards; the Gryphons totaled 130 rushing yards overall.

Andrews’ 19-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter stretched the margin to 13–7. The Monarchs had a useful counter on the ground in Scott, whose 70 rushing yards complemented his touchdown, but neither offense found much room to separate. For Rodriguez’s team, the decisive edge came from its defense and reliable kicking: one early takeaway became seven points, and the later field goals proved enough to close out a tense home result.