A number of things went right for the Mingus football team in its season opening game against Flagstaff at Coconino High School on Friday, Oct. 2. The Marauders rushed for over 200 yards on offense and forced three turnovers on defense. Unfortunately for Mingus, it wasn’t quite enough.
The Marauders and Eagles engaged in a defensive struggle. After a scoreless first half, it became clear that one play could potentially make the difference. Ultimately that play was made by Flagstaff when quarterback Morgan Bewley broke the scoreless tie with a touchdown run. That was the only score Mingus would allow, but it was enough to make a difference as the Marauders lost 7-0 to the Eagles.
It was the first game on the Mingus sideline for coach Doug Provenzano. The coach liked his team’s effort, especially given that the Eagles roster is nearly twice the size of the Marauders’. But Provenzano also saw areas to improve.
“I’m really proud of them — they’re not who they used to be,” Provenzano said. “They’re getting better every week. They gave a great effort but made some mistakes in crunch time and turned the ball over. We couldn’t get in the end zone because of mistakes and missed assignments. I told them they had plenty of opportunities to win and didn’t capitalize. It’s a good learning lesson.”
One key mistake came in what would ultimately be the final Marauder possession of the game. Mingus appeared to convert on a third-and-10 when junior quarterback Zachary Harrison connected with senior tight end Zach Figy for an apparent first down, only to soon see it nullified by a penalty.
The next mistake was made by Flagstaff, when a defensive penalty gave the Marauders a second chance after their fourth down attempt was incomplete. But the Eagles defense stood strong, ultimately stopping senior Marckensly Similien short on the ensuing fourth and short. From there, Flagstaff went into victory formation to end the game.
“We have some players that need to get better,” Provenzano said. “They all need to get better as a team. We’re going to watch some film and work harder. I’m going to coach my coaches to coach at a higher level. Every game we need to coach at a higher level. I would never blame the kids. It’s on us as coaches to get them better.”
Similien was a force on the ground for the Marauders, rushing for 92 yards on only 14 carries. Seniors Jonathan Sanchez and Andrew Meyer both contributed significantly to the Mingus rushing attack, running for 60 yards on 13 carries and 48 yards on 14 carries, respectively. Junior quarterback Zach Harrison was 6-for-7 in the passing game but couldn’t get much going downfield, amassing only 44 passing yards. He also ran for 20 yards on eight carries.
On defense, junior Angelo Alvarez was always around the ball, intercepting a pass and being in on a total of 14 tackles. Junior Brenden Hillman also notched an interception while sophomore Brasen Durkalec, junior Anthony Islas, Figy and fellow senior Elian Martinez all had one half sack on the game. The Mingus defensive effort was a stark contrast to last year’s game with Flagstaff, in which the Eagles won 45-2.
“They played a lot better than they had the previous year,” Provenzano said. “Training takes time and I have high expectations. We definitely moved in a positive direction but there are a lot of things we have to get better at to be successful.”
Mingus is still looking for its first win since defeating Bradshaw Mountain on Nov. 2, 2018, in the first round of that year’s postseason tournament. The last regular season win for the Marauders came that prior week, when they defeated Prescott 12-10 on Oct. 26, 2018. Still, this game was much different than nearly all of the losses Mingus suffered in 2019, when they went 0-10 and lost only once by fewer than 15 points.
Additionally, given the uncertainty that surrounded football and other fall sports throughout the spring and summer, Provenzano was relieved that the players got to take the field on Friday.
“I’m just really happy that they got to play. I’m very thankful and very excited,” Provenzano said. “You could see that we’re going to be good really soon. It’s just going to take some time.”
The Marauders will be home for each of the next three Fridays. First up is Mohave, which Mingus will host on Oct. 9. The Thunderbirds will be looking to shake off a 56-0 loss in their season opener to Bradshaw Mountain. After that, Mingus will host Combs on Oct. 16 and Bradshaw Mountain on Oct. 23. All of the Marauders’ remaining games — both home and road — are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
