It was an unfortunate end to the Marauders’ football season as Mingus Union lost to top-seeded Salpointe Catholic 62-22.
The Lancers’ running game gashed Mingus to the tune of 404 yards and eight rushing touchdowns on Friday.
Salpointe running back Bijan Robinson was a force to be reckoned with as he racked up 259 yards and four touchdowns.
Salpointe improves to 12-0 and has not lost since the 2017 state championshipagainst Saguaro High School 28-7.
“Even though the outcome reflects a lot to a little, our guys still were not ones to give up on the field,” Mingus coach Robert Ortiz said. “We lost to a great football team but I told our senior class that those guys laid the foundation for future Mingus teams.”
With the loss, Mingus ends its season at 9-3 and snaps a six-game winning streak.
The loss was the Marauders’ first loss in almost two months. Mingus’ last defeat was a 42-40 loss to Coconino on Sept. 14.
Despite Mingus being defeated, Ortiz feels that this season as a whole was not a loss.
“I would say this season was successful because our kids only had 11 weeks before the season to learn everything,” Ortiz said. “For them to handle the season’s ups and downs and continuouslearning makes this season a huge success.”
With Ortiz’s first season as coach coming to a close, he described the year as a chaotic but successful one.
“I think my first year was a great year, there was a ton of support from the booster club and within the community,” Ortiz said. “As the season progressed, we gained more support from the area and I hope we can continue to improve on that.”
Ortiz attributes much of Mingus’ success this season to his players, particularly, his senior class.
“If it were not for our seniors class we would not have had as much success as we did,” Ortiz said. “I know a lot of people make this season about me but I give all the credit to our players for a great year.”
The Marauders will have some big shoes to fill next season as Antoine Zabala, Alex Nelson, Chaz Tayor and Kendrew Streck are graduating.
Antoine Zabala paced the Marauders offense onNov. 9, going 21-34 for 232 yards and three touchdowns to one interception.
Mingus receiver Chaz Taylor recorded eight tackles as well as 9 catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns in his final high school game.
All four Mingus players earned First Team All-Region this season along with linemen Gabe Myers and Zach Moreno.
“What this senior class brought was fighting attitude and a tenacious desire to win,” Ortiz said. “They did not want to just win, but they wanted to fight and to succeed on the field.”
While replacing these players is no small task, Ortiz believes the Mingus football team has been getting some buzz around campus.
“I think there is more excitement now as well as a little bit of curiosity from the other athletes on campus,” Ortiz said. “Once we are able to piece that together, I think we will get back on track next season like we were this year.”
