Mingus Union High School’s 42-0 win Friday, Aug. 29, over visiting Lee Williams High School seemed, as Yogi Berra is credited with saying, deja vu all over again.
But while it was comparable, it was not identical to the Marauders’ 42-15 opening win over Cactus Shadows High School at home the week before.
For instance, against the Falcons, the offense had a 75-yard touchdown run on its second play from scrimmage.
Against the Volunteers, it took all of three plays.
Senior Tristan Clark took a handoff to the left, powered through the first wave of defenders and outsprinted the secondary to the end zone to give MUHS a 6-0 lead 2:30 into the game.
Following Clark’s score, junior Trey Meyer nailed the extra point. In fact, he hit all six he attempted — another difference. After the Cactus Shadows game, MUHS coach Bob Young had bemoaned breakdowns on special teams, including bad snaps and missed or blocked kicks.
While that problem was solved, he said, another was not.
“Our biggest weakness is pass protection,” he said, echoing assessments he made after the first game and during the preseason. “At some point, we’re going to have to pass the ball.”
Although senior quarterback Jordan Upham had some success passing the ball against Cactus Shadows, he was regularly flushed from the pocket and forced to scramble downfield. Against Lee Williams, however, he failed to complete a pass and again found himself often on the run.
“The line is blocking well in the running game; we just have to emphasize pass protection,” Young said.
He added that his team didn’t get much of a chance to work on the passing game: “We scored so quick, we didn’t need to pass.”
For more photos, standings and the full story, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 2, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
