Rams drop Homecoming game 48-23

Friday’s game was the culmination of a week of special “Black Out the Black Hawks” Homecoming activities at Maricopa High School. Homecoming king and queen, Cody Figueroa and Carla Munoz, were crowned at halftime. However, the Rams were unable to seal a victory over the Black Hawks from Williams Field.

Starting at quarterback for only the second time, junior Travis Brown ran the ball 12 times for 112 yards and completed six of 17 passing attempts for 114 yards to lead the Rams in total offense. He also led the team in turnovers, throwing four interceptions and fumbling the ball twice.

The Homecoming loss was the fourth straight for Maricopa, who fell to 2-5 on the season. Williams Field High School improved to 7-0 with the win.

In a game marked by sloppy play and turnovers, the Rams came out looking sharp on the first several plays from scrimmage, moving the ball 20 yards in just three plays. However, the opening drive stalled, and Maricopa turned the ball over on downs.

The Black Hawks capitalized, passing the ball 54 yards on their opening play.

The next two series closely resembled the previous two, as Maricopa was forced to punt after three plays. Williams Field moved the ball 70 yards in six plays, the majority of them coming on a 56-yard pass over the middle.

On their next possession, the Rams were again unable to muster a great deal of offense, having a 52-yard field goal attempt by junior kicker Armando Cano blocked. Then the turnovers began. The first of the evening was in favor of the Rams, who took over possession on the strength of an interception by senior DeAunte Leath. Gaining the ball on the opposing 20-yard line, the Rams had a short field to work with, but they turned the ball over almost immediately on a fumble by Brown.

In the second quarter the Rams were able to get the ball back, thanks to a fumble recovery, but the ensuing drive again stalled out after only four plays that netted no gain in field position. The Black Hawks answered with a touchdown drive that lasted seven plays, covering 67 yards.

Turnovers continued. Punting the ball after only four plays, the Rams were able once again to recover a fumble; for the first time they were able to capitalize on the Black Hawks’ mistake, scoring three points on a 37-yard field goal by Cano.

With time winding down in the first half, Williams Field again turned the ball over to the Rams when Demitri Esparza picked off a pass. However, they lost the ball almost as quickly when Brown threw an interception of his own.

In the second half the Black Hawks were again able to quickly move the ball down field, covering 73 yards in only four plays. The bulk of the yardage came on a 60-yard run that resulted in a touchdown.

Answering this drive with one of their own, the Rams moved the ball 64 yards on nine plays. Kendal Morris, who covered the last three yards on a run up the middle, scored the touchdown.

After a short kick by Cano, the Black Hawks took possession at their own 40-yard line and proceeded to drive down the field, but Demarcus Smith was able to sack the quarterback, force a fumble and recover the ball for the Rams. Taking over possession at their own 40-yard line, things looked good for Maricopa.

On the third play from scrimmage, however, Brown again fumbled the ball, turning it over to Williams Field. The Black Hawks took only five plays to cover the 17 yards between themselves and the end zone.

During the next two drives Brown turned the ball over on an interception, and Williams Field covered the length of the field in only four plays. Trailing 42-10, the Rams played much of the rest of the game against second-string players from the opposing team.

The Rams were able to score twice against the back-up team from Williams Field, with both scores coming on the legs of Brown, who ran seven yards and 36 yards for the scores. Still, the Ram defense was unable to totally shut down the Black Hawk offense, allowing one additional score on a 26-yard run from scrimmage.

There were 13 turnovers in the game, six by the Rams and seven by the Black Hawks. The Rams’ inability to capitalize on those mistakes cost them the game.

Next up for the Rams is a road game against Notre Dame Preparatory (5-2), who are coming off of their second straight loss. The game will be held at Scottsdale Community College.

Photos by Dan Miller