In his first high school contact game, Camp Verde High School senior Jaysen Leonard ran for two touchdowns but the Cowboys couldn’t stop Sedona Red Rock High School from scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:16 to play to defeat the Cowboys, 20-13.
Leonard carried the ball nine times for 96 yards and two touchdowns — the second his longest run of the night, which helped put CVHS ahead, 13-12, with 4:41 to play after he slipped around left end 54 yards down the sidelines.
“I felt like I was on top of the world,” he said after the Cowboys’ opener Friday, Aug. 21, at SRRHS. “It felt good getting in the end zone.”
Leonard, who had previously only played flag football, was also the leading receiver on the night for the Cowboys with 58 yards on four catches.
He was held back, however, from playing both ways and joining his teammates on defense due to a bruised hip, head coach Steve Darby said.
“Wait [un]til he gets full strength,” he said. “For having never played football before, he’s doing a great job, and as long as he stays healthy, he’ll get better.”
Leonard’s first touchdown came on a similar play with 48 seconds to go in the first quarter. Senior kicker Kyle Little’s extra point gave CVHS its first lead, 7-6.
But the very next drive, 2:40 later, senior Justice Keane’s four-yard run got the Scorpions the lead back, 12-7.
The two teams failed to score for virtually the next 30 minutes of a back-and-forth night in which both units struggled with penalties — and fellow senior Trevor Heyer moved back to his old wide receiver position after throwing two first-quarter interceptions as starting quarterback.
For the full story and sectional standings, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 26, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
