The Sedona Majors football team played its heart out Saturday, Oct. 29, but came up short in the first round of the Northern Arizona Youth Football League playoffs, losing 18-13.

“All we were thinking the whole game was, ‘we’re going to be the first team to win a playoff game from our program,’” first-year Sedona Head Coach Sam Samano said.

The Scorpions, which are a part of the Red Rock Youth Football program, qualified for the NAYFL playoffs Oct. 15 with a wild 26-12 victory over the Cottonwood Packers.

The win put Sedona at 4-4 on the season, earning the Scorpions a playoff berth for the first time in RRYF program history.

“The kids had a great effort out there. Those boys really improved over the course of the season,” Samano said.

Sedona was matched up against the No. 2-seeded Prescott Valley Brigade on Saturday and was down 6-0 at halftime, but the deficit wasn’t going to stop the Scorpions.

In the third quarter, quarterback Nolen Wilson hooked up with wideout Dawson Barber on a 15-yard touchdown pass, tieing the game at 6-6.

Later in the third after Prescott Valley took a 12-6 lead, Sean Sullivan took the kickoff back 65 yards for a touchdown, tieing it once again at 12-12.

“By this time, every break of the huddle the boys were cheering that we were going to be the first to win,” Samano said.

Sullivan gave the Scorpions a 13-12 lead on the extra point run, and all Sedona needed to do was hold the lead in the fourth quarter.

With Prescott Valley driving all the way to Sedona’s own 4-yard line with just over four minutes to go in the game, the Scorpions defense came up big with a goal line stand.

Sedona began its drive with 4:07 to go on its own 4-yard line, but the exchange from quarterback to running back didn’t go as planned, causing Sedona to fumble the ball.

Prescott Valley recovered and eventually scored, making it 18-13, which was the final.

“We called a 24-give play, and the quarterback somehow hit the elbow of the fullback. I saw it on film,” Samano said.

With the loss, Sedona was eliminated from the playoffs and wraps up the 2011 season with a 4-5 overall record.

“I asked all the kids after the game who was coming out next year, and everyone raised their hands and said yes. So that is really good; they are excited to play football again,” Samano said.