Rams recover with Twilight Zone win

The setting was familiar.

Homecoming. An opponent from Tucson. And a final score of 49-0.

In what could be seen as a possible plot to a Twilight Zone episode, the Maricopa High School football team turned the tables Friday night and defeated Flowing Wells High School in a setting rather similar to the game they had played seven days prior.

That game – against Canyon del Oro of Tucson – was a loss for the Rams (4-4, 2-1), who found themselves on the opposite side of the field with a goose egg over their heads and a Homecoming crowd cheering on their opponent.

This week, the Homecoming crowd was for the Rams and the goose egg was for the Caballeros (1-7, 1-2). The same score – 49-0 – sat in Maricopa’s favor.

“We didn’t even talk about an opponent this week,” said Rams’ coach Cory Nenaber. “It was strictly about us. It was about getting back to basics.”

The preparation appeared to pay off. The team’s offense pushed the ball down field all night as the defense forced turnovers.

By the end of the first quarter, the Rams were up 28-0. Those who crossed the goal line were seniors Elijah Alvarado, Anthony Clark and Tim Byrd. Junior Adam Kochheiser scored on a punt return at the very end of the first quarter.

Falaah Shabazz, who was absent from last week’s game, scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 8:38 left in the second quarter.

It was only 35 minutes between junior kicker Christian Ramirez’s kickoff that started the game and his successful extra-point attempt following Shabazz’s touchdown. This put the Rams up 35-0.

“Our backs ran hard,” Nenaber said. “We took care of the football … And I thought our offensive line played really, really well tonight in the first half.”

The Rams’ defense did not allow the Caballeros to gain any traction. They forced Flowing Wells to punt eight times throughout the first half and the offense scored on four of those possessions.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Nenaber said in the game against Canyon del Oro, the defense did a good job of getting to the ball, but players didn’t finish the play. The coach concentrated on form tackling during the week of practice.

“We tackled,” he said of Friday night’s game. “The biggest difference between tonight and last week is we tackled.”

With the score so high, the Rams’ second string saw playing time in the second half. Shabazz put up 12 more points before night’s end – a 44-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 64-yard run in the fourth.

The Rams are home next week against Casa Grande High School at 7 p.m.