MHS Rams grind out victory in football opener

The Maricopa High School Rams went into their first game of the football season a little banged up and came out of it a little more so. But the football team was able to grind out a 20-6 victory over Willow Canyon Friday night.

MHS head coach Chris McDonald said he was ecstatic about how the boys handled themselves in what was a scoreless slugfest for three quarters.

“They never gave up. They didn’t point fingers,” he said. “They just kept hitting and hitting and hitting until they finally cracked. I think we wore them down.”

The breakthrough came on a charge down the sideline by senior running back Daveon Harris. He scored with 7:12 left in the game. Senior Sam Aviles kicked the extra point to give Maricopa the 7-0 lead.

Minutes later, Harris forced a fumble and recovered it, carrying the ball to within the Wildcats’ 10-yard line. That set up another scoring drive in which Harris stretched to get the ball partially over the goal line before it popped out of his hands.

Aviles was again successful on the extra point, and Maricopa was up 14-0 with 4:23 left.

Another Willow Canyon turnover into the arms of Harris led to the final touchdown of the game with 3:01 on the clock.

Quarterback Zach Bachelder was injured early in the game. McDonald said it was an AC joint injury that could be serious. He was replaced by junior Devin Parady, who did not start a game in junior varsity last year. Neither quarterback tried much passing on a windy evening.

With the starting center out with an injury from a traffic accident, backup center Jake Meyer injured his knee, again causing the coaches to shift players.

It was that kind of game.

“They are a real team,” McDonald said.

Along with his three touchdowns, Harris ran for 91 yards on 15 carries. Sophomore Jathan Washington ran 11 times for 40 yards.

The team totaled 183 rushing yards compared to 17 yards passing. Senior Kenny Oliver had the team’s only two receptions.

Next up for Maricopa is the home opener hosting Paradise Valley Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.

MHS Rams vs Willow Canyon

1 of 57