Despite the Sedona Red Rock High School football team sporting a dismal 5-34 record over the past four seasons, there’s always room for hope when a new season begins and everyone is 0-0.

First-year Sedona Head Coach Rick Walsworth hopefully isn’t on the two-year plan, which has been the case for the last two coaches who have walked the sidelines for the Scorpions.

The last winning season Sedona put in the record column was back in 2003 when the Scorpions were 7-4 overall under then-Head Coach Jim Cromartie.

Cromartie lasted six seasons at Sedona starting in 2000 and retired after the 2005 season which saw the Scorpions go 4-6. That was the last year Sedona won more than two games.

In 2006 and 2007, Brian Batty was 2-17, and in 2008 and 2009, Rob Lezcano was 3-17. Batty resigned, and Lezcano was fired.

Walsworth doesn’t worry about the past, only the present, and what needs to be done next with the group of boys he’s got now.

“We’re going to work hard and get better. I was never one for making predictions on wins and losses. We’re just going to focus on getting better,” Walsworth said in the weight room Monday, Aug. 23.

More than 30 players grace the roster for Sedona this season and the biggest goal for Walsworth and his program is freshmen not seeing one second of playing time at the varsity level.

According to Walsworth, Sedona will play only seniors, juniors and sophomores at the varsity level, giving time to the freshmen to develop physically and mentally into the game of football.

What helps, of course, is the Red Rock Youth Football program, which turned out 12 freshmen this season for the Scorpions, most of whom have played two if not three years of tackle football.

In the past, that wasn’t the case with football players coming up through the system.

Top Returners

There are several top returning players from 2009 who hope to have a solid season in 2010.

Junior defensive back Bradley Cox is one of them, while offensive lineman Jordan Pickett is another.

Junior quarterback Jack Johnson continues to throw strikes when needed with his accurate arm.

Junior Colton Trcic and sophomores Kade Gallegos and Zane Saxman will anchor the offensive line as well for the Scorpions this season.

Other returners include sophomores Ryan Ramirez, Keenan Crans, James Gould, Soren Johnson and Josh Serin.

Senior Jamison Cunningham was to be the only senior on the roster, but has a knee injury and probably is done for the year, according to Walsworth.

Top Newcomers

Sedona has a few top newcomers to the squad this year who should make an impact immediately.

Junior transfer Ashor Samano will get most of the carries this season at running back and has already shown his leadership qualities on the field in practice. Samano transferred from Chicago.

Junior Corey Burns, a transfer from California, will play outside linebacker this season while Florida transfer Logan Hannay could see time at wide receiver and defensive back.

Also included in the transfer group is sophomore Cameron Pimental, who will play on the offensive and defensive line.

Final Word

With a new triple option scheme on offense the Scorpions will certainly keep possession of the ball a bit longer than in the past and hopefully it will pay dividends in the end.

If the Scorpions play well and the injury bug doesn’t bite, the Scorpions could win between two and four games this season.

Sedona is scheduled to open its season Friday, Aug. 27, when the boys travel to Flagstaff and play Page High School on the campus of Northern Arizona University in the Walkup Skydome.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.