In a battle between the state’s No. 12- and No. 13- seeded teams in Division V, the Williams Vikings visited Sedona to take on the Red Rock Scorpions in a battle between two teams clinging to their playoff aspirations.
But it was the Vikings [6-2] who came away with a convincing 48-20 victory to stay on track for the postseason, while the Scorpions [6-2] look to regroup in their final two games.
Both teams featured stout running games with backs who tore into each team’s defensive backfields, repeatedly ripping off huge chunks of yardage.
Scorpions junior slotback Brian Nguyen had a 59-yard touchdown and caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Derrick Johnson for another touchdown, while junior Andre Davis had a 64-yard touchdown run, and also a 47-yard run late in the third quarter to set up Nguyen’s second score.
But the Vikings with their three-headed monster of Joaquin Salaz, Coty Baxter and Kristian Holmes, chewed up more than 500 yards of prime Sedona real estate, and the three also scored five of their team’s six touchdowns.
“They were just more physical than we were,” said Scorpions head football coach Rick Walsworth. “We’re young up front on the offensive line, and we don’t have a lot of ability to throw the ball down the field, so that allows people to put a lot of guys in the box on us.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Oct. 23, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.