Scorpions face reality after 27-point loss2 min read

By
Jeff Bear
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After dispatching their first two opponents by a combined score of 84-6, the Sedona Red Rock Scorpions football players were feeling pretty good about themselves — despite dire warnings from their coach, Rick Walsworth, that it was all just a house of cards ready to collapse at any moment.

“We’ve got to get better at executing our base plays and making sure we’re blocking the guys we’re supposed to be blocking,” Walsworth said after his team’s seemingly easy 49-0 victory over Piňon.

And just like you never want to admit that your parents are right, even though they usually are, Walsworth’s concerns proved to be prophetic in the Scorpions’ 34-7 loss to the Page Sand Devils on Sedona’s home field Friday, Sept. 13.

“I think we thought we were pretty good, and Friday night showed us differently,” Walsworth said. “We’ve just been going through the motions the last few weeks in practice.”

The lone highlight for Sedona in Friday night’s loss was a 75-yard punt return for touchdown by junior Andre Davis in the first half, a feat Davis had performed twice the week before against Piňon.

The Scorpions possess players with tremendous speed, such as Davis and junior Brian Nguyen, that if they happen to get into the open field can be very dangerous.

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But the problem, as Walsworth sees it, is closer to the line of scrimmage.

“We’ve got some things we’re not doing blocking-wise,” Walsworth said. “We had a lot of problems with pass protection.

“We’ve still got guys who are not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, it’s a myriad of things,” he continued. “We’ve got to get 11 guys all working on the same page every play, and right now we’ve got about eight or nine working on the same page every play, and it might be a different eight or nine every play.”

For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 18, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.

Jeff Bear

Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.

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Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.