An uphill battle awaited Sedona Red Rock High School’s football team as it headed into its game with Camp Verde on Friday, Sept. 27. The Scorpions, who had been playing with a small roster all season, entered with a smaller roster than normal at only 18 players.
SRRHS fought hard and kept the game close, even taking a lead briefly in the fourth quarter. But the lack of depth was too much to overcome and the Cowboys prevailed over the Scorpions 22-8.
“They were better than us,” coach Bob Young said. “Every game, that’s the way it’s been. We compete and we get tired. We’ve got to be better.”
While Camp Verde generally had the better of the action throughout the game, Sedona stayed within striking distance and trailed only 6-0 heading into the final quarter. The Scorpions finally got on the board early in the final frame, taking the lead in the process. Quarterback Christian Welch scored on a two-yard run and followed that up running in the ensuing two-point conversion attempt. That put his team up 8-6 with less than a quarter remaining. That proved to be the high water mark for SRRHS on Friday, as Camp Verde took over from there.
The Cowboys went back ahead four plays later when running back Peyton Kelley broke a 45-yard run for a touchdown. After the Scorpions went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Jared Gorda capped a nine-play, 69-yard drive for the Cowboys with an 18-yard touchdown run. Camp Verde quarterback Garrett Dulaney punctuated both scores with successful two-point conversion runs, giving the game its final score.
“Sedona gave a great effort,” Cowboys coach Rick Walsworth said. “It was a great football game to be a part of.” While the Scorpions have been undermanned for much of the season, Friday’s game was especially tough. Not only did SRRHS play with only 18 guys, but Jackson Coughlin and Xavier Stimple were both sidelined with injuries. With two of its top offensive playmakers out, the Sedona offense ran almost exclusively through Welch.
“He was everything we had on offense,” Young said of his quarterback. “He plays with a lot of heart.”
Tama Sc h a r n h o r s t also came through with some big plays for the Scorpions. Welch found Scharnhorst on a key play to convert a fourth-and-six on Sedona’s lone scoring drive. Earlier in the game, Scharnhorst and Welch flipped roles when Welch, playing receiver, caught a long pass from Scharnhorst to convert a fourth down, While it didn’t lead to a score, it did help SRRHS greatly in the field position battle. The loss to Camp Verde moved Sedona to 1-4 on the season. The Scorpions will now move into 2A Salt Section play, which begins on Friday, Oct. 4. While moving to section play does give SRRHS something of a reset, Young knows that his team is facing a significant challenge for the rest of the season.
“We’ve got what we got — 18 guys. I don’t have 10 more guys coming out,” the coach said. “We’re going to try to finish the year out as best we can.” One advantage for the Scorpions is that they’ll get to enjoy their next two games at home. They’ll host Scottsdale Prep on Friday, Oct. 4 and Veritas Prep on Friday, Oct. 11 for homecoming. Both games will start at 7 p.m.
Michael Dixon can be reached at 282-7795 ext 131 or email to mdixon@larsonnewspapers.com
