The Sedona Majors Scorpions football team had won two straight contests before running into a buzz saw Saturday, Oct. 8, losing to the Wickenburg Wranglers, 51-18.

“A few key players got hurt and we had a few bad breaks, so the game got away from us,” Sedona Head Coach Sam Samano said.

Wickenburg is the No. 1 ranked team in the South Conference of the Northern Arizona Youth Football League; the Scorpions sit at No. 3 in the North Conference.

With the loss to the Wranglers on Saturday, Sedona drops its record to 3-4 overall this season. The Scorpions began the 2011 season with a 1-3 record but won two straight games to even it at 3-3 before Saturday’s loss.

Sedona defeated the Flagstaff Raiders on its own home turf Sept. 24, 29-26, then beat the Prescott Badgers on Oct. 1, 30-7.

Against Wickenburg, the Scorpions trailed 14-12 after the first quarter of play, staying with the Wranglers step for step in the first 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, things started to go south with Chas Rescigno and Sean Sullivan getting hurt. Quarterback Nolen Wilson wasn’t feeling great either, but stayed in the game.

Sedona had over 250 yards of offense against the Wranglers with Bailey Ehrlich scoring the first touchdown for the Scorpions. Sullivan and Wilson each scored a touchdown as well, but it wasn’t enough in the 51-18 loss.

“The Wickenburg coach came over to me and said our boys played their hearts out. He wasn’t just saying that to be nice either; he really meant it. He thought this game might have been different had some of our guys not gotten hurt,” Samano said.

Next up for Sedona, the Scorpions will host the Cottonwood Packers in the season finale Saturday, Oct. 15.

The game will be played at Sedona Red Rock High School with a start time of 2 p.m.

According to Samano, the Scorpions may need to win Saturday’s season finale to get into the Northern Arizona Youth Football League playoffs.

“It’s a big game. The boys need to stay focused,” Samano said.

The playoffs are scheduled to begin Saturday, Oct. 22.