On Friday, Oct. 8, 364 days since its last home win, Mingus Union High School [2-4] took the field in Cottonwood for the first time all season and immediately gave the home crowd something to finally cheer for.
After forcing a punt in its first defensive drive, senior running back Angelo Alverez stomped down the field for a 20-yard rush to ignite the crowd. He threw down defenders, juked defensive backs out of their cleats and made a metaphorical statement: This new field was his.
A 12-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back Kyle Rameriez sealed the deal. Nobody was ruining this moment for Mingus.
That is, until Arcadia stole the moment and made it their own. The Titans [3-3] answered with a 60-yard touchdown pass on a short-slant route to tie the game up at 7.
For every punch Mingus dished out, Arcadia threw a haymaker right back. The Titans rained on the Marauders’ parade Friday night, defeating Mingus 42-32 in the Marauders long-awaited home opener.
The atmosphere was electric throughout, especially
in that first quarter. After the Titans’ efficient drive to even the game, the Marauders regained the lead in the most efficient way possible.
Alvarez, who handles kick return duties as well as serving as the lead running back, dropped the ensuing kickoff at around the Marauders 13 yard line. What came next was a dazzling, video-game-like run as the senior weaved through the Titans defenses for an 87-yard touchdown.
“I’m amazed that they were kicking to him,” interim head coach Dave Moncibaez said. “They know who he is. … I’m like ‘keep doing it,’ because I’ll put the ball in his hand on kick return all day.”
After Mingus missed the extra point, the Marauders held onto a 13-7 lead midway through the first quarter. It would be the final time they led all game.
Arcadia led another methodical scoring drive following the kick return, culminating with a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Spencer Hoos on a wildcat play.
Down just one point, the game took a turn on the first play of the second quarter with a single questionable decision. On fourth down and 2 to go from his own 28-yard line, Moncibaez opted to go for the first rather than punting from deep in his own territory. The Titans sniffed out the play call all the way, stopping Mingus senior quarterback Zachary Harrison on an option play for a loss of yards.
Just a couple of plays later, Arcadia punished Mingus for the decision. The Titans took an 8-point lead following a 16-yard touchdown pass to go up 21-13.
“We obviously didn’t expect that to happen,” Moncibaez said. “If we got that first down, there’s that momentum [we needed].”
Mingus added a field goal on its next drive and caught a break for an opportunity to retake the lead just before the half.
Sophomore safety Michael Grijalva picked off Arcadia QB Rocco Mortensen’s pass on the Mingus 1-yard line off of a deflection to save the Marauders from a two-possession deficit. He returned the ball to the 20, setting up a 2-minute drill before the half for the Mingus offense.
The ensuing drive stalled quickly — setting up another controversial decision.
On 4th and 7 from their own 34-yard line with 41 seconds before halftime, the Marauders opted to go for it once again. Harrison’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down, handing the ball back to the Titans with prime field position.
“If we get it, we get momentum in the locker room,” Moncibaez said. “We get momentum in the second half.”
Arcadia immediately struck with a 39-yard touchdown pass to a wide open receiver, giving Arcadia a 28-16 lead at the half.
Despite its best efforts to come back in the second half, it simply didn’t happen for Mingus. There were glimmers of hope with a big fumble recovery in the third quarter, but the Marauders offense stalled in inopportune
times. Arcadia held on for a 42-32 defeat of Mingus.
“It was execution from our offense,” Alvarez said. “I couldn’t hit my holes like I used to and I was very slow on my feet. … I put this team in a bad position for not being at my best.”
If it was a bad game for Alverez from his own standards, then it solidifies his position as one of the best running backs in the state. On 12 carries, Alvarez picked up 90 yards on the ground in addition to the electrifying kick return TD.
The Mingus offensive line struggled to contain Arcadia’s pass rush. Harrison was sacked three times and hurried nine times Friday night, and he was often forced outside of the pocket in passing situations. He completed nine passes on 19 attempts for 122 yards and an interception.
Despite the loss, the Mingus crowd gave a great turnout in the team’s return to Cottonwood.
“It felt amazing to look up and see our own crowd and see the stands full for once,” Alvarez said. “Having a bunch of people come out, I really do appreciate it because it helps us out a lot.”
The Mingus fans will have to wait a while longer to see a win in Cottonwood. The brutal stretch continues for the Marauders with two consecutive road games, starting Friday at Benjamin Franklin. They’ll return home Oct. 29 to take on Lee Williams at 7 p.m.
