Juan Ruiz’s second unanswered touchdown in three-and-a-half minutes gave Mingus Union High School its first win Friday, Sept. 9, 35-28 over Cactus High School.
“There’s no other feeling like this, Friday nights,” said Ruiz, who caught the game-winner from eight yards out with 1:06 to play to give head coach Bob Young his first win over Cactus since 1993. “It’s huge, going from 0-2 to beating one of the best teams in the state. We just want to show that we’re back.”
Stalled on their own 29 with less than two minutes remaining, the preseason No. 7 Cobras could have punted on fourth down and played for overtime.
Instead, seeking to avoid a 1-2 start, long-time head coach Larry Fetkenhier gambled on his offensive line and lost.
The Mingus defensive line converged to stuff the run attempt six inches short of the first down, frustrating the preseason No. 7 Cobras into an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that set up the Marauders inside their 15.
“They’re stinking good,” said Young, who avoided entering Grand Canyon Region play winless for the second time in three seasons. “We played three really good teams, but you never want to go in 0-3. That was my big concern, just being healthy going into region.”
Two more inside handoffs to senior fullback Jason Groth set up Ruiz, who on the previous possession, trailing, 28-21, had scampered 63 yards down the right sideline with less than four minutes to go after a Cobras special teams player was ejected for punching sophomore kickoff returner Alex Nelson.
“Juan, boy, he got loose and turned on the jets,” Young said.
“I just went to my guys,” Ruiz added. “I got blocking and took advantage of it.”
Playing his most varsity minutes ever after tearing a labrum in his shoulder the beginning of his sophomore year and missing a 13-6 loss Sept. 2 at Cactus Shadows High School with an injured ankle, Groth earned all of his 203 yards.
“Coach Young, when we were out on the field pregame, said he wants to see 250 [yards] out of me,” Groth said. “This feels amazing.”
His second touchdown with 1:30 elapsed in the fourth quarter erased a 21-14 halftime deficit, capping a drive in which he and Meyer converted two fourth-and-short situations of their own. The deficit came after Cactus not only tied the game with 45 seconds to play in the second quarter but took the lead 20 seconds later on a touchdown pass after recovering a fumble at the MUHS 23-yard-line.
Before that point, Young was happy with his team’s performance.
“That was a big swing,” he said. “To their credit, they didn’t go into halftime and sulk about it. What I said to them wasn’t good.”
After performances Young felt lacked discipline the first two games, the difference in the win, Meyer and Groth agreed, was that all players played together as a unit.
“We only have so many seniors,” said Meyer, whose 10-yard quarterback keeper on first and goal gave MUHS its second lead, 14-7, with less than four minutes to play in the second quarter. “We can’t do it by ourselves.”
