Rams victory over Buckeye Youngker a true team effort

In getting essential contributions Friday night from a turnover-free offense, a swarming defense and impactful special teams, the Maricopa Rams defeated Buckeye Youngker 16-7 to earn their first victory of the Cory Nenaber era.

 “We are pleased to get the first win,” said Nenaber, who is in his initial season as Maricopa’s head coach. “I think the first win is usually the toughest for any football team. We didn’t play perfect. It wasn’t necessarily the prettiest day we’ve had. But we found a way to win, which is a testament to our kids.”

After turning the ball over six times in a season-opening loss at Buckeye, the Maricopa offense avoided giveaways in Friday’s game at Youngker.

“We put the ball on the ground a couple times, but we got them back,” Nenaber said. “We played a lot better up front. We blocked a lot better. We made some big throws and catches when we needed to. We are not where we want to be offensively yet, but we are getting better, definitely better than last week.”

Defensively, the Rams (1-1) held the Roughriders (0-2) to one second-half touchdown.

“Our defensive line played a lot better,” Nenaber said. “We did better at controlling the line of scrimmage. We did a good job of making their running backs run sideways. We got them into the situation where we wanted, where they had to throw to beat us. And we were able to take care of it. Our tackling was much better than the first game.”

The Maricopa special teams played a far-reaching role in the victory. Senior kicker Armando Cano made three long field goals, and he also recovered an onside kick following Youngker’s touchdown. Meanwhile, senior K.J. Diehl forced and recovered a Youngker fumble on the second-half kickoff, and he also punted the ball effectively throughout the game.

“To have a really reliable kicker is a good thing,” Nenaber said about Cano, who boomed two kickoffs into the end zone in addition to converting two first-half field goals and a third three-pointer in the fourth quarter. “That is a huge weapon to have in high school.”

After Youngker scored its lone touchdown to close within 13-7, the Roughriders tried an onside kickoff. Cano was there to pounce on it, with help from senior teammate Justin Warren.

“I kind of had the feeling they (the Roughriders) were going to do it (the onside kick), so we put our hands team out there,” Nenaber said. “They were looking to try to keep the momentum. We guessed right, and our front two of Cano and Warren made great plays, making sure we got the ball. Cano ended up recovering it, and Warren had a hand on it also.”

After the Rams grabbed a 6-0 lead on Cano’s two first-half field goals, the Roughriders received the kickoff to open the third quarter. Diehl knocked the football loose from the Youngker return man and recovered it, setting up the Rams for a scoring drive that culminated with a touchdown run by junior Randel Barber.

“K.J. Diehl made a great individual effort and stripped the ball for the turnover,” Nenaber said. “K.J. was huge for us. He had a good game on defense (from his cornerback position), and he had four punts that were just huge.”

Nenaber also lauded the play of Barber and senior Patrick Duffy, both of whom excelled on offense and defense.

“Patrick Duffy played like a warrior on both sides of the ball (at fullback and linebacker),” Nenaber said. “He rarely leaves the field. He did a great job for us. Randel Barber (a starting cornerback on defense) came in off the bench offensively and gave us a spark in the backfield.”

While their quest to establish a winning tradition is just beginning, the Rams will head into next week’s non-region game at Page – and their subsequent Class 4A-II East Sky Region schedule – with the confidence that goes with earning their first victory of the season.

“I would say it was definitely an improvement,” Nenaber said in comparing his team’s performance against Youngker to the previous week’s 27-7 loss to Buckeye. “Are we where we want to be? Are we at our best? No. But we definitely improved at blocking and tackling. Our goal is to improve every single week. I tell them that every day. I think we proved something to ourselves – that we can win. I think that is the important thing.”

Photo by Tom Kessler