Mingus Union High School’s football season got off to a flying stop — not to be confused with a defensive stop, which were few and far between for the Marauders in their home opener Friday, Aug. 26.
Thanks to a strong group of skill-position players, Higley High School rang up 63 points on a bevy of long touchdowns, both through the air and on the ground.
The Marauders showed some offensive strength of their own, scoring 36 points, but they couldn’t keep up with the faster, more athletic Knights, who cast a long shadow on Bright Field.
“Sure they’re good,” said frustrated head coach Bob Young after the game, “but, come on, that shouldn’t be 63 up there [on the scoreboard.]
“Our defense never gave us a chance.”
The Knights rolled up 874 all-purpose yards, including 510 by junior Dracen Hall, who rushed for 344, caught five passes for 60 yards and gained 106 yards on a total of five kickoff and punt returns. He scored four touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.
The feisty Marauders stayed within striking distance until midway through the third quarter, when Hall scored on a 36-yard run to put Higley ahead 42-30. All that was left for MUHS was a touchdown on an 18-yard run by sophomore Colby Fanning with 1:36 left in the game.
Higley opened the game by driving from its 20 yard line to the Mingus 23 on four plays. On the fifth, however, Fanning intercepted a pass in the end zone.
The Marauders offense took advantage, going 80 yards on four plays — including a 47-yard scamper by senior Jason Groth — capped off by junior Tyler Kelly’s 23-yard touchdown run to give MUHS a 7-0 lead.
Kelly would add two touchdown catches and a safety. Groth carried gained 119 yards on 12 carries.
Fifteen seconds after Kelly’s touchdown, Higley would take the lead on Hall’s 80-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion made it 8-7.
They would stretch the lead to 16-7 after the subsequent Marauders drive fizzled at midfield.
Despite a sack by senior Josh Scalf and an incompletion that left Higley with a third and long, quarterback Mason Crossland hit Cooper Jones for a 23-yard touchdown pass.
The Marauders defense flexed its muscles as the second quarter began. The Knights had a first down at their 33, but Kelly broke through the line and batted down a pass attempt, then two incompletions later, the Knights went into punt formation. The snap sailed over the punter’s head. He recovered it near the goal line, but Kelly tackled him in the end zone for a safety, to pull MUHS to within 16-9.
Young lauded the good work by his special teams for “helping to keep us in it,” including the safety, as well as a blocked punt and extra point.
Following the safety, Kelly returned the free kick about 36 yards to the Higley 36. On the first play from scrimmage, Meyer connected with senior Alejandro Stabreff on a touchdown pass to tie the game at 16 after Meyer’s extra point split the uprights.
Again, the tie was short-lived as Higley drove 67 yards for another touchdown and a 23-16 lead. But, the Marauders wouldn’t let go. An offsides penalty on fourth and two gave Mingus a first down at its 33. On the next play, Meyer hit Kelly with a short pop pass over the middle. Kelly split the defense and outran the secondary for a 67-yard score, tying the game at 23 with 7:34 left in the first half.
But Higley was relentless, driving 78 yards for another touchdown and a 29-23 lead. Two-and-a-half minutes later, Crossland connected with Jones on a 54-yard touchdown pass and the Knights took a 36-23 lead into halftime.
The Marauders surged again at the beginning of the third quarter thanks to a defensive stand, a special teams play and a quick-strike offense.
Higley took over on its own 44. A holding penalty set them back, as did a sack by MUHS senior Steve McClanahan. The Knights dropped back to punt and Kelly broke through to block it, giving the Marauders possession at the Higley 31. On the next play, Meyer hit Kelly for a touchdown to pull Mingus within 36-30.
But that would prove to be the Marauders’ last gasp as the Knights scored the next 27 points before Fanning closed out the scoring with his garbage-time touchdown run. MUHS ran for 231 yards on 40 attempts, while Meyer completed seven of 12 passes for 168 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Still, Young was in no mood to praise his team.
“Offensively, we had chances to score, but we bogged down,” he said. “We have a lot of things to work on that we did poorly.”
For more photos, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 31, issues of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
