It was a night of looking back and forward on Thursday, Sept. 18 when Scorpion football held its first home game in six years against the Williams Vikings, while Williams dominated with a final score of 58-6, Sedona Head Coach Tony Hauserman said he is pleased how his team is developing on both sides of the ball.
“Williams is a really good team with 39 players on the roster. They were a class act and played with great sportsmanship. It was a pleasure to play them,” Hauserman said. “Our kids continue to improve. We knew it would be an uphill climb, since the entire team had never played tackle football, but things are starting to settle. Our open-field tackling is improving, though we still have work to do. The offense is starting to execute. We need to eliminate mistakes, because most of what stopped us was within our control but our blocking and play execution are much better.”
Gerardo Cruz [No. 44] .
However, the community came out for the home team despite the rain, filling up about 60% of the homestand to cheer on the Scorpions.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had football here in Sedona, and it’s been a true group effort from our coaches, to our administration, to our teachers, our community, our athletes, and our boosters as well,” Swaninger said to the audience at halftime. “A special thanks to [Scorpion Booster Club President] Matt Corney and [Secretary] Heidi [Jones] for leading this. We couldn’t do this without you.”
Friday, Sept. 18.
“I t was fantas t i c [because] the community came out even in the rain,” Hauserman said. “We had a wonderful night celebrating our veterans, and it was great to be out with Sedona football again.”
The Vikings scored 46 points in the first half with the lone touchdown for the Scorpions coming from senior wide receiver Samuel Callau-Knigge in the third quarter.
“Samuel did great and there was some unexpected great performance as well.” Hauserman said. “There were a few unexpected ones. Keldon [Cain] and Steel [Sturgeon] stood out with their rushing. Keldon, especially, has really developed. He’s always had speed on offense, but now he’s also a very aggressive defensive player. Paxton [Corney] played a great game, and Hector [Flores] was a surprise. He filled in at safety with little training after Keldon twisted his ankle, and he excelled. He earned a spot. Wide receiver Emmanuel [Rodriguez] also played well, and as he gains experience, I’m excited to see what he can do.”
The evening had a veteran’s theme with a special tribute to recently deceased Sedona resident and assistant track and field coach Lew Hoyt remembered at halftime with a tribute by Superintendent Tom Swaninger Ph.D and Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” played in remembrance of Hoyt’s own time at TopGun.
“Lew is a true champion for our students and our staff. He’s touched the lives of many, and I fully believe he’s looking down on us right now with a huge smile on his face,” Swaninger said. “I believe that we are most healthy as individuals, as a community, and as a society when we are pouring into others, and when we find people of wisdom, care, and love willing to pour into us. Lew was that person for each one of us. Thank you, Lew, and we love you.”
The Scorpions play at home this week against the Mohave Accelerated Patriots on Friday, Sept. 26 with a 7 p.m. kickoff, and the final home game of the season is on Friday, Oct. 10 against the Joseph City Wildcats that will be the homecoming game.
“We need to play mistake-free football with a mix of running and passing,” Hauserman said. “We’ll continue working on execution this week and see where that takes us.”
Those in the community looking to get involved in the program Hauserman said they are looking for more people to help run the chain gang between downs and that the Scorpions could use someone to be the statistician to keep player records and to help with the score breakdown.
To apply for open coaching positions visit sedonacreek.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx and for more information or questions contact brock@sedonak12.org or at (928) 204-6700.
