Given that Oct. 6 marked the first matchup between the boys soccer teams at Camp Verde and Sedona Red Rock high schools in more than a decade, the game was likely to produce something memorable. That’s precisely what happened. The game ended in a 1-1 draw but got there in an unusual way.
The two teams battled to a tie for 80 minutes and were lined up to begin overtime. Then, some of the lights at Camp Verde High School’s stadium went out. While the officials talked on the field, weighing in their options, the remaining lights flickered out, drawing memories of Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, when the lights went out just after halftime. Only this time, the game was called.
Cowboys Coach Dave Miller did not make any players available for comment. Sedona Coach Sam Blom said he didn’t remember anything like this happening in a game he’s been a part of, but did liken it to another
odd delay.
“I do remember watching the New York Giants getting ready to play the Vikings in Minnesota when the stadium ceiling collapsed,” he said, recalling the 2010 incident when the Metrodome roof collapsed under the snow.
The lights going out brought a bizarre end to what was an intense game.
While there were a number of scoring opportunities from both teams, two plays stood out from Camp Verde’s perspective.
The first came after the two teams battled for 24 scoreless minutes, when Jonny Lomeli broke the tie, taking a pass from Coy Dexter and putting the ball in the back of the net, giving the Cowboys a 1-0 lead.
That score remained intact until the final minutes of the opening half when the Scorpions drew a free kick. Sedona’s Jaiah Grondin was initially lined up to take it, but opted to give the shot to Berto Sanchez, feeling that a left-footed kicker had the better angle. That decision paid off for the Scorpions as the shot went directly from Sanchez’s left foot into the back of the net to tie the score.
The second key play for Camp Verde happened in the final seconds of regulation and as it turned out, the game. As time was expiring, Luis Beltran got free and into a one-on-one setting with Cowboys goalkeeper Joquin Carillo. Carillo was in a good position and blocked Beltran’s shot seconds before time expired.
“Their goalie made a great save — It was Luis versus the keeper and the game clock,” Blom said. “We knew the CV game would be intense.”
Had the lights not malfunctioned, the two teams would have played a 10-minute overtime period, taken a two-minute break, switched sides and then played another 10 minutes. If the game was still tied at that point, it would have ended in a draw.
The tie with Sedona moved Camp Verde to 3-1-1 on the season. On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Cowboys played on the road against Payson and lost 5-4 in overtime. Next up is a home game on Saturday, Oct. 17 against Wilcox, which is scheduled to start at noon.
