The gold boot is staying at Camp Verde High School for the second straight season.
Spoils of the annual victor of the Cowboys’ rivalry with Chino Valley High School, the boot was earned Friday, Oct. 2, by senior Dakota Brueland, whose 99-yard fumble return for touchdown with 6:15 remaining put the Cougars away, 26-12, in the teams’ Division V, Section III opener.
The fumble, forced by senior linebacker Jesse Etietinne, could not have come at a better time for CVHS. With first down and goal at the Cowboys’ 3-yard-line, Chino Valley was knocking on the door of a touchdown that would have drawn the Cougars within six midway through the fourth quarter.
“I told my linebackers, ‘We need the ball back. Get us the ball back,’” said Brueland, who also had an interception from his cornerback position, threw a 35-yard pass completion on offense and had two other touchdowns to go with 140 all-purpose yards on the night. “Sure enough, Jesse hit the guy, the ball just came out on the goal line, I picked it up, and I just put my head down and ran.”
No Cougar could close within five yards of Brueland, who had streaked 48 yards for a rushing touchdown five minutes earlier that gave the Cowboys a two-touchdown cushion.
For the full story and standings, please see the Wednesday, Oct. 7, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
