| Written by Brian Bergner Jr. |
| Thursday, 29 September 2011 00:00 |
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It didnât take long for the visiting Cowboys to announce their presence with authority as Kody Rayburnâs 80-yard touchdown strike on the first play from scrimmage was a first-round knockout.
Rayburn had 14 carries for 192 yards and three touchdowns Friday, Sept. 23, as the Sedona Red Rock High School football team never recovered, losing to rival Camp Verde High School, 48-0. With the loss, Sedona drops its regular season record to 2-3 overall this season. The Scorpions fell only one spot in the polls, going from No. 12 to No. 13 in the Division V Arizona Interscholastic Association power point rankings. Camp Verde is a perfect 5-0 and is ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive week in Division V. The Scorpions managed only 129 yards of total offense against the stateâs top-ranked team, while the Cowboys had a field day, recording 501 yards of total offense in the 48-0 win. âWe did not come out ready for how physical they [Camp Verde] were going to be. It had been three weeks since an opponent had come out and been physical with us, so it took awhile for us to adjust to that. I was proud that the kids competed for the entire game and never quit,â Walsworth said. To make matters worse for the Scorpions, two of Sedonaâs best players, senior quarterback Jack Johnson and senior safety Bradley Cox, were injured against the Cowboys. The duo are questionable for the game this week at Payson High School on Friday, Sept. 30. âJack [Johnson] took a finger to the eye on our second possession, and then dislocated some fingers on our first possession of the second half. I am optimistic that he will be able to go on Friday,â Walsworth said. âBradley [Cox] has a shoulder injury, and Iâm not sure of the extent at this point, but I do not expect him to play this week,â Walsworth added. Johnson was 3-5 for 24 yards passing while Cox had three carries for three yards. Junior Keenan Crans took over at quarterback when Johnson went down and was 0-2 throwing the ball but did have seven carries for 40 yards out of the triple-option offense. With the first half of the season out of the way, Sedona can look back at its 2-3 record and feel accomplishment. In its three losses, Sedona fell to Camp Verde, Winslow and Northwest Christian high schools. The three programs combined are 15-0 to start the 2011 season and are ranked atop their respective divisions. Camp Verde is No. 1 in Division V while Northwest Christian is No. 2. Winslow is ranked No. 1 in Division IV according to the AIA polls Monday, Sept. 26. Sedona is the only team in Division V with a sub-.500 record to still remain in the top 16. âWe are still in the mix because of how tough our opponents have been. That was a brutal way to open the season for us,â Walsworth said. The second-year coach added the Scorpions need to stay focused on themselves and go out every day looking to get better in the weight room and on the field. Walsworth expects a difficult contest in Payson this Friday but believes his team can pull off an upset if things go well. Payson is 2-3 this season. âWhere I come from, being scheduled as the homecoming game is a slap in the face, so I expect us to go over there with a chip on our shoulder, and do our best to spoil homecoming for the Longhorns,â Walsworth said. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. |



âThey came out and hit us in the mouth,â a disappointed Head Coach Rick Walsworth said. âA couple of guys over-penetrated in the backfield, and two other players missed tackles simultaneously. You add that to a good player making a good run and thatâs what happens.â