Rams fall to Higley Knights

For the most part, the Maricopa defense always seemed to be positioned in the right spot, ready to slow the Higley ground game Friday night.

But wrapping up and bringing down the Knights’ agile ballcarriers wasn’t so easy.

Higley scored its first five touchdowns on runs of 30 yards or longer — mostly on broken tackles — and the Knights went on to deal the Rams a 48-20 setback in the 4A East Sky Region opener at Higley.

Three Higley running backs rushed for more than 100 yards each, led by Kelvin Fisher’s 148 yards and four touchdowns.

“They used their key players in the right places and we just weren’t able to get to where we needed to be and make the tackles we needed to,” said Maricopa coach Eric Reed. “If we had to play it over again I think things would be different. They still had a wonderful game. Things just didn’t go our way.”

The Knights (1-3) scored 21 unanswered points to start the game, while the Maricopa (2-2) offense sputtered and never reached Higley territory until its fifth possession when Rams’ running back Davon Snell beat the pursuit to the sideline, turned the corner with a stiff arm, and raced 65 yards to pay dirt.

Snell finished with 125 yards rushing on 19 carries. He also hauled in a 24-yard scoring-strike from quarterback Patrick Davis late in the fourth quarter.

Davis added a touchdown on a 1-yard keeper in the third quarter to cut Higley’s lead to 35-14.

That score was set up when Davis connected with receiver Spencer Wilson, who had slipped behind the secondary near midfield, for a 54-yard gain. Wilson dragged the defensive back 10 yards, down inside the 5.

In addition to Fisher, Higley got 100-yard rushing performances from Ken Mitchell, who made the most of his seven carries with TD runs of 80 and 55 yards, and Emmanuel Caro Del Castillo, who finished with 125 yards.

Despite the loss, Reed said he has been proud of his team’s effort in the face of numerous distractions. Reed took over the program two weeks ago when health issues forced Gary Mattes to resign as head coach,

“It would just be nice if the kids could play, without the outside drama, without anything else,” Reed said. “When it’s in the paper and around school, it’s hard for a 15- or 16-year-old to deal with. But these are really good kids, and they’re coming along with their knowledge of the game.”

Maricopa is on the road again next week, taking on Coronado High School (2-2).

Photo by Dan Miller