Rams set tone early in lopsided win

The Maricopa High School football team set the tone early Friday night in its crushing 42-0 home game win against Vista Grande High School.

Very early.

The Rams’ (2-3) defense caused a fumble on the first play of the game, which positioned the offense inside the Spartans’ (2-3) territory.

Although Maricopa failed to find the end zone on its first possession, the team quickly claimed the 50-yard stretch of Vista Grande land as its own. For much of the game, Spartan defenders found their backs only a short distance from the goal line.

Maricopa’s own defense had a lot to do with the good ball position.

“Our front four played really, really well on defense,” said Maricopa coach Cory Nenaber. “They pretty much controlled the line of scrimmage all night long.”

In the first half, Maricopa forced the Spartans to punt the ball seven times.

Twice the Rams’ punt return team made noticeable contributions. Senior wide receiver Tim Byrd blocked a punt on the Spartans’ third possession of the game, setting up Maricopa inside Vista Grande territory. At the start of the second quarter, senior running back Falaah Shabazz, acting as punt returner, carried the ball 48 yards for a touchdown.

By halftime, the Rams were up 21-0 thanks to Shabazz’s touchdown and runs by quarterback Isaiah Pedro and wide receiver Adam Kochheiser.

Despite the score, Maricopa’s aerial attack was noticeably off in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Pedro – a young, versatile player who’s managed to quickly establish himself as a varsity starter this season – failed to connect with open receivers.

The missed opportunities came after the recovered fumble at the beginning of the game and the Rams’ possession following Byrd’s blocked punt.

Nenaber said he spoke with Pedro at halftime about his “mechanics.”

“You know, he’s still a young kid,” Nenaber said. “He’s only a sophomore, start No. 5. So, I thought he responded pretty well. He does a really good job of managing our football team on offense. That’s as important as how he throws the ball.”

***ADVERTISEMENT***Whatever Nenaber said to Pedro at halftime looks to have stirred a mid-game transformation.

On the Rams’ first possession, Pedro managed to connect with Byrd in the end zone from the Spartans’ 2-yard line. Byrd later scored in the third on an 11-yard run. Near the end of the third quarter, Pedro also threw a 22-yard touchdown to junior wide receiver Elisha Donaldson, putting the Rams at 41-0.

Junior kicker Christian Ramirez, who executed well throughout the night, tacked on the extra point for the 42-0 final.

The Rams will begin section play next week against Marana High School (3-2) of Tucson. The Friday game at Maricopa High begins at 7 p.m.