Regardless of the sport, starting a game well is always good. But as Camp Verde’s football team learned in its season opener against Arizona Lutheran Academy in Phoenix on Friday, Oct. 2, it doesn’t guarantee a victory. The visiting Cowboys jumped out to an 8-0 lead but ended up on the wrong end of a 47-16 final.
The early minutes told much of the game’s story. The Coyotes fumble in the game’s opening possession was recovered by Camp Verde’s Peyton Kelley, setting the Cowboys up with a short field. Camp Verde took advantage when Jacob Oothoudt connected with Bryce Seekins on a 22-yard touchdown pass. Oothoudt ran the ensuing two-point conversion in on a keeper to give the Cowboys an 8-0 lead.
The high from that play didn’t last long, though, as ALA responded immediately, returning the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.
“That was a big momentum swing,” Camp Verde Coach Rick Walsworth said. “The rest of the first quarter, they physically dominated us on both sides of the ball.”
The Cowboys maintained their lead when they thwarted the Coyotes’ two-point try, but it didn’t last long. Camp Verde went three-and-out on its next offensive possession. ALA struck big on the first play after the punt, connecting on a
68-yard touchdown pass to go up 13-8 and take a lead that would not be relinquished.
The home team kept the pressure on throughout, opening up a 33-8 lead at halftime and going up 40-8 before the Cowboys finally scored again on a keeper from Oothoudt which, combined with another successful two-point try, cut the lead to 40-16. ALA found the end zone once more to close out the score.
Arizona Lutheran Academy maintained a consistent offense through the game. The Cowboys surrendered 430 yards of total offense, 247 on the ground and 183 in the air. On offense, Camp Verde struggled to maintain consistency, gaining only 185 yards, with 163 coming via rushing and only 22 in the air.
Despite the loss, Walsworth saw some positives. One player he praised was sophomore
lineman Sam Willias. Despite playing a new position, Walsworth said that Williams might have been his best lineman. He also cited the kicking and punting efforts of Luis Venegas as well as the play of Oothoudt and Kelley, who were among several two-way players for the Cowboys.
“We had a lot of guys giving great effort Friday night,” Walsworth said. “A lot of guys played very hard, many of them playing on both sides of the ball.”
The Cowboys will be home for their next two games.
On Friday, Oct. 9, they’ll host Holbrook, which will be playing its first game of the season. On Friday, Oct. 16, Camp Verde will get its 2A Verde schedule going with a home game against Valley Lutheran, which lost its opener 28-7 to Tonopah Valley. In addition to being the first game of conference play, the game against the Flames will also be homecoming night for the Cowboys. All of Camp Verde’s remaining games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Walsworth is looking forward to seeing improvements from his team.
“In football we usually see the most improvement between the first two games,” the coach said. “And we are expecting to see that this week.”
