Camp Verde’s football team figured that a tough game awaited when they went on the road to take on Scottsdale Christian Academy on Friday, Oct. 23. Going into the game, the Eagles were not only 3-0, but achieved that mark with wins of 49-14, 67-0 and 54-8. The Cowboys got the tough game that they were expecting, losing 37-6. But Camp Verde coach Rick Walsworth found some positives in his team’s effort.
One of those positives came early. Scottsdale Christian struck twice in the first quarter, opening up a 14-0 lead. The Cowboys responded when junior quarterback Garrett Dulaney scored on a 15-yard touchdown run. That sent a message to the Eagles that none of their first three opponents had come close to sending.
“Scoring early to make it 14-6 had SCA’s defense on their heels a bit because they had not allowed as much as a single first down in the first half of their three games so far this season,” Walsworth said. “So getting early points was a statement that our kids came to play.”
One of the keys for Camp Verde coming into the game was containing senior Ben Tobin, Scottsdale Christian’s dual-threat quarterback. Tobin made his plays, rushing for one touchdown and passing for two others. But his totals for the game were a reasonable 11-for-17, passing for 147 yards while rushing 11 times for 81.
“Defensively, our players executed the game plan Coach [Steve] Darby and Coach [Aaron] Gronwald had for them this week, and held SCA to their lowest point total of the season,” Walsworth said. “We did an admirable job of keeping Tobin contained for most of the game.”
Dulaney rushed for 29 yards on eight carries. The Cowboys were led on the ground by senior Peyton Kelley, who rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries. Junior quarterback Jacob Oothoudt added 48 yards on 13 tries. Walsworth also praised the efforts of Kelley and Oothoudt on defense, as well as those of Matt Nechvil and Mason Rayburn, the latter of which also returned punts well for the Cowboys.
Even with some positives, Camp Verde was left with plenty to work on. While Tobin was contained, Eagles junior Boden Davidson was not. He rushed for a touchdown, caught another and returned the game’s opening kickoff.
The game with Scottsdale Christian was the Cowboys’ first since they defeated Holbrook 52-36 on Oct. 9. They were initially scheduled to host Valley Lutheran on Oct. 16, but that game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Valley Lutheran. Walsworth said he didn’t like what he saw from Camp Verde in the two weeks of practice between games.
“We lacked focus in a lot of our practice time during the two weeks leading up to the game, so we missed a lot of opportunities to go out and get better,” he said. “That was disappointing. We are playing a lot of inexperienced guys, and getting quality practices is an important part of speeding their growth on the field on Fridays.”
The loss moved the Cowboys to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in 2A Verde Region play. Next up for Camp Verde is a road game against Scottsdale Prep on Friday, Oct. 30. The Spartans are 3-0, with their last game coming on Oct. 16 when they defeated Veritas Prep 21-14. The Cowboys will be home the following week when they host North Pointe Prep on Friday, Nov. 6. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The game against Scottsdale Prep is a big one for Camp Verde and Walsworth hopes that it marks a sharp turnaround from the Cowboys’ effort against the Spartans in 2019, a 44-8 loss.
“Last season, we played our worst game of the year against Scottsdale Prep,” Walsworth said. “So I would really like to see us have a great week of practice, then come out and play up to our potential this Friday against them.”
