Sedona Red Rock High School’s football team was already thin prior to Friday night’s opener against Kingman. As the game progressed, the Scorpion roster got even more thinned out and it showed on the scoreboard.
Sedona suffered a number of injuries, including more serious looking ones to lineman Spencer Anthony, quarterback Christian Welch and running back [as well as backup quarterback] Tama Scharnhorst. It was all far too much to overcome, as the Scorpions were routed 66-8.
“We need more guys,” coach Bob Young said. “That’s what we can learn from it. We have absolutely no depth at all. We lost one or two guys and literally at the end we had eight guys on the field that had never played football. That might be good for freshman or JV. But on Friday night, you just can’t compete like that.”
While the game ended poorly for SRRHS, the Scorpions had a lucky rabbit’s foot in their pockets in the first quarter. That gave the many fans who came out to see them reason to believe early.
The visiting Bulldogs severely outgained the Scorpions through the opening possessions. Despite that, the game was tied after one quarter.
A lengthy Kingman drive on the game’s opening possession came to an end when a miscommunication led to a fumble which was recovered by Sedona junior lineman Lee Loughnane. While the Bulldogs did take an 8-0 lead on their next possession, that was quickly offset by a 75- yard kickoff return from Scorpion junior Xavier Stimple for a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion pass from Welch to senior Jackson Coughlin. The good fortune for SRRHS came to an end after the first quarter, though. Kingman began to dominate the game in not just yards but the scoreboard, as well.
The Bulldogs took a 14-8 lead in the opening moments of the second quarter. In the final minute of the first half, Kingman’s Malakai Bell broke free on a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown. Those two scores bookended a quarter in which the Bulldogs scored four times to open up a 36-8 halftime lead.
Things only got worse for the Scorpions over the final two quarters. The game continued to be lopsided and the injuries only increased. By the end of the game, SRRHS had only 16 healthy players.
Despite the final score, Young noted that he was pleased with the effort that he saw from his team.
“The 16 guys that we had to finish the game up didn’t quit,” Young said. “They played their tails off.”
The Scorpions will have a week to lick their wounds. On Friday, Sept. 6, they’ll travel to Goodyear to take on a 2-0 Trivium Prep team.
The next home game will come against Rock Point at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.
Michael Dixon can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 131, or email to mdixon@larsonnewspapers.com
