Heading into the first round matchup of the Arizona Interscholastic Association Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Sedona Red Rock High School’s boys soccer team knew that a good effort was going to be needed to beat No. 3 Show Low. Unfortunately for the No. 6 seeded Sedona team, that didn’t quite materialize.
The Scorpions had some good moments against the Cougars, but ultimately were on the wrong end of a 6-2 final.
“This was not what we were expecting,” SRRHS senior Jaiah Grondin said. “We were doing good the first 20 to 25 minutes of the game. Then it kind of got away. We lost control over passing and weren’t attacking like we should have.”
While Show Low struck first to open up a 1-0 lead, the Scorpions struck back when Grondin scored a tying goal in the 25th minute. Shortly after that, though, the game began to unravel.
The Cougars scored a trio of first-half goals after Grondin’s equalizer to open up a 4-1 lead at halftime.
Sedona junior Kevin Beltran added a goal in the second half but Show Low scored two more en route to the victory.
“We had our chances but they took advantage when we lost the ball and went all out to try to score,” SRRHS coach Sam Blom said. “We had one sub, they had nine — and most of their players were seniors or juniors.”
While it ended earlier than they hoped, there were a number of positives to take away from the Scorpions’ soccer season.
Sedona finished the regular season 8-3-1. Two of the three losses were to top seeded Chino Valley. The other was a 6-4 overtime loss in the season opener to Payson, which finished the season ranked No. 7. The Scorpions would avenge that loss by defeating the Longhorns 3-2 later in the year. The draw — which came in a thrilling 1-1 game — was against another playoff team, No. 5 Camp Verde.
“I’m really proud of what we accomplished,” Grondin said. “This has been a great season. I’m so proud to have played with these guys and have grown a bond. They’re my brothers now and I couldn’t have asked for a better group.”
Most of the players from that group will return to the pitch in 2021. Grondin and defender Alejandro Villanueva were this season’s only seniors. Many of the other players are freshmen and sophomores who have multiple seasons at SRRHS remaining.
Individually, 12 Scorpions received 2A Central Recognition. Grondin was the Region’s Co-Player of the Year, along with Chino Valley’s Angel Sanchez. Grondin was also honored as an All-Region First Team midfielder. Junior Alberto Sanchez and freshman Luis Beltran also received All-Region First Team honors at defender and forward, respectively.
Junior defender Brandon Arias and freshman forward Carlos Gonzalez were both named All-Region second team as were a pair of midfielders — Kevin Beltran and sophomore Max Metzger. Villanueva, sophomore Korbin Burke and freshman Reif Stevens were All-Region honorable mention defenders. Freshmen Noah Horton and Joan Diaz Rodriquez also earned All-Region honorable mentions at midfield and goalkeeper, respectively.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better team for the season,” Grondin said. “It’s maybe my favorite team that I’ve ever played with. It was a new division and region and we didn’t know what to expect. Coming out and doing what we did, making the playoffs, put a good name on Sedona.”
