Late field goal gives Maricopa Rams 3rd win of season in comeback

Whether it was three touchdown runs by Cameron Sanders, clutch field goals by Sam Aviles or a defense that wore down the opposition, the Maricopa High School football team kept cool heads for a come-from-behind victory Friday night.

 

The Rams defeated North Canyon on the road, 33-27, to lift their record to 3-2.

 

Maricopa used a balanced attack offensively while the Rattlers relied heavily on the passing game. The Rams’ defense worked overtime to keep four turnovers from destroying Maricopa’s chances.

 

“I thought we had a lot of young kids step up tonight and persevere through that with no finger-pointing,” head coach Chris McDonald said. “We were the more disciplined team tonight for sure.”

 

The Rattlers, who started the game with a 3-1 record, struck first against a Maricopa defense that looked sluggish for much of the first half. The Rams tied the score with 9:03 left in the second quarter on a 4-yard run by sophomore Jathan Washington and the extra-point kick by Aviles.

 

But North Canyon came back before the end of the half with a 1-yard run into the end zone that gave the Rattlers the 14-7 lead.

 

North Canyon extended the lead in the third. What looked like a blown play and a desperation toss by quarterback Trevor Leinstock turned into a touchdown by Solomon Enis.

 

Four and a half minutes later, Sanders scored from half a yard out for Maricopa. After Aviles’ PAT-attempt was blocked, the Rams were down 21-13.

Maricopa junior Kemo Akins put the Rams back in scoring position with a 67-yard run. Sanders ran the ball in from the 4, but the team’s two-point conversion attempt failed. The Rams trailed 21-19.

 

Besides an onside kick recovered by the Rattlers, McDonald said three fumbles and an interception, turnovers the Rams call “sudden changes,” had his offense shooting itself in the foot. The defense mostly prevented those turnovers from leading to touchdowns.

 

“One of our goals is to stop sudden changes. It’s going to happen,” he said. “And our defense did that two out of three times, so it’s 66 percent. I’m OK with that. What I’m not OK with is us giving them the football.”

 

When the Rams had the Rattlers backed up against their own goal line, North Canyon’s Leinstock connected with Enis again for a 97-yard touchdown with 10:25 left in the game. When the PAT kick went wide, the Rams were in a position to at least tie the score.

 

That was exactly what they did two minutes later. Sanders ran in from the 4. Maricopa senior quarterback Zach Bachelder tossed to senior Kenny Oliver for the 2-point conversion to knot the score, 27-27.

 

The Maricopa defensive line only seemed to grow stronger as the clocked ticked down, putting the brakes on the Rattlers for the rest of the night.

 

For the first time since the opening game, Aviles was put in field-goal range, this time with three minutes on the clock and the game on the line. He kicked the ball through to give Maricopa the 30-27 lead.

 

Particularly hard hits on both sides and NCHS’s realization the game was getting away from them led to a tense confrontation that could have escalated into a brawl if the Rams had not walked away. McDonald praised his team for keeping cooler heads.

 

The Rams’ next possession led to a nearly identical field-goal set-up for Aviles. That nailed down the victory for Maricopa.

 

The Rams have a bye next Friday. Their next game is Homecoming on Sept. 30, when they host Ironwood (1-3).

 

Akins led all rushing in the game, picking up 84 yards on 10 carries. That was more than all off the Rattlers combined (48). Sanders had 59 yards on 10 carries, and Jacob Cowing had 51 yards on five carries. Washington rushed for 32 yards but injured his ankle in the third quarter and was out for the game. Oliver led Maricopa in receiving yards with 42 on three catches.

 

Maricopa gave up 358 passing yards to Leinstock and his receiving corps, the Rattlers’ highest total of the season. Enis alone had 212 yards on nine catches. North Canyon had more possessions and nearly a 100 more total yards than the Rams, 422-327.

 

Bachelder, returning behind center after a two-game layoff for an injured shoulder, passed for 101 yards. McDonald said his goal for his quarterback was to manage the game and “not get hit.”