With nearly 1,000 yards of total offense between the two teams Friday, Sept. 16, the Cowboys managed to slip past host Chino Valley High School, 55-38.
The win improves the Camp Verde High School football team’s record to a perfect 4-0 to begin the 2011 season. The victory moves the Cowboys to the top spot in Division V, according to the Arizona Interscholastic Association power point polls.
“If you are a fan of offense, this was the game for you. There was no defense on either side. They couldn’t stop us, and we couldn’t stop them,” longtime Camp Verde Head Coach Luke Steege said.
Being ranked No. 1 in Division V is nothing to balk at, but Steege said if the Cowboys expect to stay there, they’ll have to play much better defense than they did Friday night.
Camp Verde had 526 total yards of offense against Chino Valley, but allowed the Cougars starting quarterback Joshua Custodio to find open receivers like he was Aaron Rodgers.
“We had several chances for interceptions and just couldn’t catch it,” Steege said. “This kid lit us up.”
Custodio was 15 of 35 for 335 yards and four touchdowns.
“We didn’t prepare for him to throw 35 passes, but it sure was effective,” Steege added.
Camp Verde had its own answer for Custodio wearing No. 20 as Kody Rayburn had 19 carries for 219 yards and four touchdowns. He added two catches for 18 yards as well.
Quarterback Deshon Tripp had a good night, completing seven of 11 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown while throwing only one interception. He had 14 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Camp Verde led 28-19 at halftime, but the Cougars outscored the Cowboys 13-7 in the third quarter to trail only 35-32 heading into the fourth.
The Cowboys put things away for good in the final period by scoring three touchdowns and outscoring Chino Valley, 20-6.
Other top performances for the Cowboys included Chris Zellner, who had 10 carries for 46 yards and a score while adding two tackles and one sack on defense. Gavin Collins had 10 tackles to lead the Cowboys.
Next up, Camp Verde will take its perfect 4-0 start to cross-valley rival Sedona Red Rock High School on Friday, Sept. 23.
Sedona started the 2011 season with an 0-2 record but has since won two games in a row, outscoring its opponents in that time frame 93-28 to bring its record even at 2-2.
The Scorpions haven’t won back-to-back games since the 2005 season, the last year that Head Coach Jim Cromartie walked the sidelines.
With Camp Verde sitting at No. 1 and the Scorpions at No. 12 in the AIA power point polls, it should be a good matchup for both squads, according to Steege.
“Hopefully we can stop their option offense. They’re pretty good at it now,” Steege said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
