Kofa never stopped working.

Despite a comfortable lead early in the second half, the Kings kept charging forward until the very end of their top-10 showdown versus Glendale Independence. Kofa returned home to Yuma still tied atop the Central Region after defeating Independence 4-0 Thursday night.

That region may not crown a champ until Kofa travels to fellow co-leader Washington on Jan. 24.

The road warrior Kings didn’t seem weary at all against Independence, scoring three goals in the first half. It added its fourth near the start of the second half, when the 5A’s goal leader, Leonel Rodriguez Ulloa, dribbled to an open spot just inside the 18-yard box to record his second goal of the night.

The sophomore is now six goals away from tying a school single season record (37) set by Tiernan Nicewander last season.

“During my freshman year, I was very intimidated playing on varsity,” Rodriguez Ulloa said. “I saw these tall kids. At the start of this season I didn’t think I would get to this number of goals (31). I knew I had the potential to do it, but I didn’t know I would get this comfortable with the team.”

The striker has certainly made himself at home.

He also picked the right time to contribute, as Kofa has been without its No. 9, the injured Nolan Garcia, arguably the best player on the team. But the senior is expected to return on Monday.

Just like his team’s high work rate, coach Jamie Nicewander never stops teaching. He was constantly relaying instructions to his boys on the field and explaining to his bench players some of the dos and don’ts of the game.

“It’s a fun team,” Jamie said. “I love how I can get on them. They are very coachable group of guys.”