The Camp Verde Coyotes won the Northern Arizona Youth Football Championship against the Mingus Mountain Marauders 44-12 on Nov. 8.
The Coyotes were ranked No. 2 in the league and the Marauders were ranked No. 4.
At half time, the score was 20-6. Each goal kick was worth two points for the youth tournament.
“I think we executed the run,” Camp Verde Head Coach Jeremy Brady said after the game. “I think that was definitely a key point we’ve been working on for a couple weeks. We have good receivers and a good quarterback, but we executed the run very well.”
“We definitely could have tackled better and got lower,” Mingus player Dominic Fernandez said.
But being the runner up is still a feat, Marauders Head Coach Matt Westcott said.
“I felt like, just to get to this point, we fought really hard last week,” Westcott said. “You know, we were the fourth seed, won to Chino [Valley, ranked No. 1], who were defeated.” While he said the team could have played better, he’s still proud of how far they came.
“It was a good season, we started off not the best, and then we beat the No. 1 team, Chino Valley,” said Calin Christopher, a Mingus Mountain player who attends Sedona Red Rock Jr. High School. “… It was really fun. It was a hard game, but we didn’t play the best. Well, our last game, we were so hyped. I was trying to hype up my team mates today.”
All the Camp Verde players received rings for their victory.
Running back Chase Bird, said the team made great tackles and worked well as a team.
“The whole season I feel like I can play a little better,” he said. “But there’s always improvement [to have].”“We only lost one game all season,” Brady said.
The season started in late August, with Camp Verde’s first game on Aug. 23 The three different age groups played throughout the day during the championship: Might Mites, ages 5 to 8; Minors, 9 to 11 and Majors, ages 12 to 14.
The Mighty Mites’ championship game saw Mingus beating the Bagdad Razorbacks 26-0.
The Minors’ game saw Mingus beating the Chino Valley Blue Cougars, 12-6.
All-Star Game
The league’s all-star game was scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15, at Chino Valley High School, after press time.
The Mighty Mites played at 2:30 p.m., the Minors played at 4:30 p.m. and the Majors play at 6:30 p.m.
Each team chooses a number of athletes from their divisions to represent in the all-star game. The league’s Facebook page posted the lineup on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Athletes only got one practice together before the game begins on Saturday.
The White Jerseys consists of athletes from :
- Majors: Chino, Prescott Valley, Wickenburg, Bagdad
- Minors: Camp Verde, Flagstaff, Mingus, Page, Williams
- Mighty Mites: Chino, Prescott Valley, Wickenburg, Bagdad, Parker
The Black Jerseys consists of athletes from:
- Majors: Camp Verde, Flagstaff, Mingus, Salome
- Minors: Camp Verde, Flagstaff, Mingus, Page, Williams
- Mighty Mites: Camp Verde, Mingus, Williams, Page
Also on Nov. 15, the youth cheer competition was held at Bradshaw Mountain High School.
The cheerleaders were also separated into the same age categories. The Mighty Mites winner was the Bagdad Razorbacks, the Minor winner was also the Bagdad Razorbacks and the Majors winner was the Chino Valley Cougars.
