While starting a game strong is nice, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good end result. In its game against River Valley on Friday, Oct. 16, the Mingus Union High School football team learned that lesson the hard way.
Things started great for the Marauders, which opened up a 15-0 lead in the first quarter. That score remained intact until the third quarter, which the Dust Devils won 15-0 to tie the game up heading into the fourth quarter. The final quarter remained scoreless until 11 seconds remained, when River Valley scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to go up 22-15, which ended up being the final score.
“Our energy wasn’t there,” Mingus senior running back Drew Meyer said. “We needed to not give up. We gave up way too soon. We thought we had this game and we didn’t. We just came in here thinking that we were going to win.”
The critical sequence in the game came with the game tied in the final minutes. Meyer got free on a 65-yard run that not only seemed to rejuvenate the Mingus offense but also set the Marauders up with a first-and-goal from the three.
Meyer’s first two runs from there netted no yards. Senior Jonathan Sanchez got the carry on third down and gained a yard, setting Mingus up with a fourth-and-goal from the two. Meyer got the ball again but was stuffed for a one-yard loss.
“I couldn’t hit the holes right,” Meyer said. “It was my fault. I’ve got to fix it. We couldn’t punch it in.”
While the missed opportunity was frustrating for the Marauders, they still could have positioned themselves well to win by forcing a punt. Instead, the River Valley offense marched 97 yards down the field and scored on Zach Hammett’s second touchdown of the game.
Not only did the Dust Devils go ahead but they bled nearly all of the remaining clock. A short kickoff and a 25-yard pass from junior quarterback Zach Harrison to senior tight end Zach Figy set Mingus up with one final play from the River Valley 40, but Harrison’s Hail Mary attempt fell harmlessly to the ground, ending the game.
Despite being unable to score in the game’s final minutes, Meyer was easily the top playmaker for the Marauders on the night. He ran the ball 18 times for 144 yards and scored both Mingus touchdowns on runs of four and five yards, the first of which was set up by an 80-yard from Meyer on the game’s opening kickoff. Meyer also caught two passes for 43 yards and intercepted one.
Even before the opening kick, the game with River Valley could already be described as uniquely 2020. The Marauders went into the week preparing for Combs while the Dust Devils were getting set for their homecoming game with Cortez. Combs had to cancel on Wednesday, Oct. 14 due to a COVID-19 outbreak, while Cortez had to do the same with River Valley the following morning.
On the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 15, the Marauders and Dust Devils agreed to play each other. That left them only one day of preparation.
In that one day, the Mingus players had a practice that they were not satisfied with, perhaps feeling overconfident that the Marauders — a 4A team — would have little problem defeating a 3A opponent.
“We only had one day to watch film on them, but there’s no excuses,” Sanchez said. “We came to practice yesterday and we were lazy. We thought we were going to whoop on this team, like somebody said in the huddle. We came out in this game like we did in practice yesterday. No energy. ‘We got this. This team ain’t nothing.’ And look at the scoreboard at the end of the day.”
The loss dropped the Marauders to 1-2 on the season. It was also the lone game of the year against a team not in the Grand Canyon Section. Mingus will return to section play in its next game when they take on Bradshaw Mountain. The Marauders will also see a familiar face on the opposing sideline in long-time Mingus coach Bob Young, who coached the Marauders through the 2017 season and now serves as head coach of the Bears.
That game will be at Mingus on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.
