Cowboys hunt first win at Homecoming

Senior Jaysen Leonard catches the ball during a Camp Verde High School practice, running toward the end zone. The Cowboys are gearing up for their Homecoming game next week.
Zack Garcia/Larson Newspapers

Homecoming on Friday, Sept. 18, may be just what the doctor ordered for Camp Verde High School football.

A first win this fall continues to elude the Cowboys after a 44-26 defeat at Globe High School dropped them to 0-3 on Friday, Sept. 11.

“The team, as a whole, played well, given our challenges,” said Steve Darby, CVHS head football coach. “With almost every player going both ways, we just ran out of gas.”

Eleven Cowboys could not make the trip due to academic ineligibility. That number did not include the starting kicker for CVHS, senior Kyle Little, who along with two other players was dismissed for team rules violations, according to Darby.

With only freshman Dominic Bruno in reserve, sophomore punter Kevin Oothoudt had to pull double duty as kicker for the Cowboys — in addition to his linebacking duties on defense.

To his credit, he had a 42-yard punt, converted two extra points and “kicked well on kickoffs,” Darby said. The Cowboys fell victim to a bad snap and a failed two-point conversion attempt.

But with just three punt attempts, Oothoudt may have been the only CVHS player with anything left in the tank, even with the Cowboys coming off a bye week.

For the full story, standings and more photos, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 16, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.

George Werner

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