Turnovers, penalties prove costly; Rams fall to Seton Catholic

The Rams (2-7) entered the game after a loss to two-time defending state champion Notre Dame prep while the Sentinels (3-6) entered the contest after losing last week to Arcadia High. Both teams entered with young inexperienced rosters.

The old adage in football that youth can lead to mistakes, and ultimately, turnovers and penalties, was the story line in this game. Maricopa and Seton Catholic combined for 9 fumbles, 3 interceptions and 10 penalties for 107 yards.

The beginning of the game looked promising as Maricopa defensive end Demarco Smith recovered a fumble on Seton Catholic’s opening drive. The Rams went to work early with a potent rushing attack and capitalized on a Seton Catholic defensive breakdown with a 41-yard touchdown scamper by quarterback Travis Brown.

Then, cue the penalties. After a penalty set up an easy touchdown for Seton Catholic, Maricopa answered again with a decent drive that was capped through the air with Brown connecting with Demitri Esparza for an 8-yard touchdown. The Rams took a 14-7 lead.

The Sentinels would capitalize on a variety of Maricopa penalties and turnovers to tie the score and set up a go-ahead 45-yard prayer from Justin Sieczkowski to Kenny Whisenhunt, son of Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt, and take a 21 -14 lead as the first half expired.

The second half brought more of the same for Maricopa. After a fumble led to a turnover on their opening possession, the Rams defense committed a personal foul penalty on Seton Catholic’s first drive, which set up a touchdown to make the score 28-14.

Maricopa tried to regroup. After running a reverse on their next drive that led to a 31-yard gain by Rams halfback Vince Bailey, Maricopa again shot themselves in the foot by fumbling and turning the ball over on the next play.

Seton Catholic took advantage. On their next possession, Sieczkowski connected for 55 yards to Trevor Gleisner for a touchdown, giving the Sentinels a 35-14 lead.

Maricopa ended the game on a positive note. Down 45-14 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game, Esparza came up big, scooping up a Seton Catholic fumble for a 76-yard touchdown. The Rams would miss the extra point, however, and the Sentinels were able to run out the clock to end the game with a 45-20 victory.

Maricopa head coach Eric Reed was upset with his team’s lack of focus and discipline, but put the blame on himself and his coaching staff. “We got them (the players) up pretty hyped up for this game.” Reed said. “I just think it just boiled over.”

Travis Brown, who finished the game with 70 yards rushing and 109 yards passing, led Maricopa offensively. Brown also ran for one touchdown and threw for another.

Maricopa will finish their season next week at home against Tempe High School (2-7), which lost to Arcadia this week.

Photo and video by Steve Sliker

The Maricopa Rams played the Seton Catholic Sentinels from Steve Sliker on Vimeo.