MHS football wins on senior night for first victory

Big plays on a big night spelled the difference as the Maricopa High School football team won its first game of the year, 48-34, over Scottsdale Coronado on Senior Night at the MHS field Thursday.

The Rams scored on kickoff returns of 95 and 98 yards, a 98-yard pass play and several other long runs. But the big plays were not limited to the offense. Defensively, Maricopa (1-6) stopped the Dons (3-4) on five key fourth-down plays, three of them inside the MHS 5-yard line.

It all led to the Rams surging to a 34-6 halftime lead. A third-quarter score made it 41-6 before Maricopa head coach Cory Nenaber started utilizing every player on the roster, some at unfamiliar positions.

Coronado, with its first unit still in the game, battled back to within 41-27, but yet another Ram TD put the contest out of reach ensuring Maricopa of its second straight Senior Night win. Last season MHS upset Seton Catholic 37-25 in the seniors’ final home game.

“That’s the difference in the game, our defense making those stops inside the five. And that’s those kids embracing the situation, understanding the situation and finally making the plays like we know they’re capable of,” Nenaber said. “I was just so proud of that defense in the first half.”

The night began with a bang as junior Kentrell Coleman raced 95 yards with the opening kickoff to get the Rams off on the right foot. The point after failed, giving MHS a 6-0 lead.

The Dons then drove 62 yards to the Ram 1-yard line, when Baylor Cloar fumbled and MHS recovered. Maricopa was unable to move the ball so deep in its own territory and was forced to punt. Coronado’s Anthony Hantzsche returned the kick to the MHS five and quarterback Reid Blakely took the ball in from one yard out for the first CHS score of the night. It would be their only one until merely nine and a half minutes remained to play. Franshua Avila blocked the extra point attempt, knotting the score at six.

Seconds later Randel Barber followed nearly the same route as Coleman had, taking the kickoff 98 yards for what would prove to be the winning score.

On the Dons’ next two possessions Maricopa made fourth down stops, the latter at the one-yard line. After the second, with the ball at the two, MHS sophomore quarterback Dallas Speer found senior Rico Johnson with a pass near midfield. Johnson out-dueled a defender for the ball and then sprinted the rest of the way for the touchdown. That made the score 27-6, coming after Barber had scored from four yards away.

Just 38 seconds before halftime MHS extended its lead to 34-6 as Coleman raced 41 yards on a reverse, giving Maricopa more points in one half than it had scored in any full game previously this season.

Showing the first half was no fluke, the Rams scored on their first possession of the second 24 minutes. After stopping the Dons on a fourth-and-five gamble at mid-field, Speer hit Johnson for a 17-yard gain and then Barber rambled 29 yards off tackle for his second score of the game.

By then the contest appeared well in hand and Nenaber began freely substituting. CHS took advantage, scoring on a 74-yard bomb from Blakely to Dominic Rivera, a one-yard run by Cloar after a Maricopa fumble and a four-yard pass from Blakely to Ashi Abadjivor after an interception.

***ADVERTISEMENT***But Barber quickly answered on a 17-yard run to give MHS a 48-27 lead with 2:53 to play. A late score by the Dons simply narrowed the final margin.

“You felt the momentum kind of shift a little bit late, but the great thing is that every kid played, and played a lot,” Nenaber said. “I really liked sending out those seniors in their last home game the right way. It’s happened two years in a row. I’m so proud of those kids, every single one of them, for sticking with our program. You can tell they’re believing. It’s just a great night for Maricopa football.”

Barber finished with 144 yards on 14 carries with three TDs. Coleman added 40 yards on five tries. Speer was 5-8 for 151 yards. Johnson actually had 153 yards on four catches. The only other completed pass went for minus two yards.

The Rams will close their season with three straight road games, beginning next Friday at Casa Grande.