If only Camp Verde High School had saved a touchdown or two Friday, Sept. 18, for its first three games.
The Cowboys scored more points in the first half of homecoming against Piñon High School than their total margin of defeat in their previous three games, shutting out the Eagles for their first win, 50-0.
“We knew a win was just a matter of time,” said Steve Darby, CVHS head football coach. “We are both a young and inexperienced team; however, we have seen improvement each week.”
Running back Jaysen Leonard had 11 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns, although fellow senior Dakota Brueland had the longest rush of the night for 50 yards and a score after two other touchdowns were called back due to penalties.
Their contributions propelled the Cowboys to a 43-0 lead by the 4:47 mark of the second quarter, triggering a running clock on the scoreboard for the rest of the game, per Arizona Interscholastic Association bylaws.
“We had a mismatch covering Ryan Loza all night and we were able to take advantage of it,” Darby said of his sophomore slotback, who hauled in a 22-yard touchdown for the game’s first score, one of six catches for 154 yards. “Ryan rarely drops a pass and is hard to bring down once he makes a catch.”
After a Piñon fumble early in the second quarter, senior Trevor Heyer’s 11-yard touchdown reception with 11 minutes to play put the Cowboys up, 24-0.
It was all delivered from sophomore quarterback Payton Sarkesian, who had his most efficient passing night at CVHS with three touchdowns and just two incompletions in 15 attempts for 261 yards.
“Payton is playing with a great deal of confidence,” Darby said. “He has learned from past mistakes and is making good decisions.”
The night’s final, unexpected, scoring contribution came from senior transfer Jesse Etietinne, who had a pick-six for 30 yards as part of a 25-point second quarter.
For the full story, standings and more photos, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 23, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
