Running clock invoked with 6:56 in first half
By Raymundo Frasquillo
WILLCOX – Toby Keith’s “Should’ve been a Cowboy” was the last words heard by the visiting Tucson Palo Verde Magnet Titans before leaving Cowboys Stadium on Aug. 22.
Willcox handed the visitors a 54-0 non-region loss during the opener for both teams. The Cowboys led 46-0 with 6:56 left in the second quarter when a running clock was invoked.
This week, the Titans host the 2A Metro 1 Region Florence American Leadership – Anthem South Titans on Thursday, Aug. 27 while the Cowboys host the 2A Metro 2 Region Phoenix Arizona Lutheran Coyotes on Friday, Aug. 28. The Titans slipped past 2A South 2 Region Tucson Desert Christian 9-7 while the Coyotes ran past 2A Metro 3 Region Chino Valley 62-14 last week.
Willcox – 54, Palo Verde – 0
Although the scoring was lopsided, both teams had seven first-half possessions and two in the second half. Palo Verde couldn’t untangle its offense before the game ended.
Palo Verde Magnet’s first-half possessions ended in a fumble, three punts, a turnover on downs, an interception, and a punt. The Titans’ second-half possessions resulted in a punt and running out of time. Meanwhile, the host Cowboys scored on all seven first-half possessions and on the second of two second-half possessions.
The visitors received the opening kick and fumbled on 2nd-and-20, with Willcox senior Anthony Morales recovering. Willcox covered 30 yards in four plays capped by senior fullback Caleb Cooke’s 2-yard run with 1:42 elapsed in the game. The extra point attempt was no good.
Palo Verde needed 80 yards on its second possession, gained 35 on three runs and a reception before an incomplete pass on 4th-and-5 turned the ball over on downs.
Willcox snapped the ball twice and led 12-0 with 7:09 left in the first quarter. A 29-yard Cooke run preceded a 16-yard junior Asher Ward scoring run. The extra point kick was no good.
The Titans needed to cover 61 yards on their third possession, ran for two, drew a 5-yard penalty, threw two incomplete passes, and punted on 4th-and-13.
Willcox junior quarterback Robert Hill Jr. connected with junior wide receiver Da’Marion Jackson for a 34-yard score. Cooke added the conversion kick. The hosts led 20-0 with 5:43 left in the first quarter.
Palo Verde started 65 yards away on its fourth possession, lost 12 yards on a bad snap, regained seven on junior Aiden Basulto’s run, threw an incomplete pass, and punted on 4th-and-15.
Willcox snapped nine plays using nearly four minutes before crossing the goal line again, a 2-yard Cooke run with 54 seconds left in the first quarter. The advantage was 26-0 after the conversion pass fell incomplete.
In the second quarter, the Titans ran a play, drew a 5-yard penalty, and threw two incomplete passes before turning the ball over on downs following a failed first down attempt on 4th-and-14.
Willcox threw an incomplete first down pass, but a handoff to Ward led to a score from 34 yards out. Cooke added the conversion kick for a 33-0 advantage with 40 seconds elapsed in the second quarter.
Palo Verde needed 82 yards, but an incomplete pass and an interception turned the ball over.
Jackson pulled down the pass to put the Cowboys on offense again less than a minute later. A 43-yard pass play from Hill to Cooke added another six points to the home side of the scoreboard. A Cooke conversion kick made it 40-0 with 10:10 left in the first half.
The Titans gained seven yards on first down, threw an incomplete pass, drew a 5-yard penalty, and were intercepted on 3rd-and-8.
This time senior cornerback Eli Nelson picked off the pass. Three successive sophomore Zander Klump runs gained 28 yards. A fumble and recovery on 1st-and-goal allowed another attempt to get in the end zone. Ward covered the two yards for a 46-0 home team advantage. The conversion attempt failed, and the running clock was invoked.
Willcox received the second half kick, but punted on 4th-and-20 with reserves. Palo Verde needed 80 yards and gained three first downs before punting on 4th-and-24.
The Cowboys got the ball with 2:45 left in the third quarter, gained two first downs, and used 8:16 on the possession. Sophomore Daniel Burkhead crossed the goal line on 3rd-and-goal from the two. Burkhead added the conversion run for the final 54-0 score with 3:44 remaining.
On the evening, Willcox totaled 387 offensive yards, averaging 8.0 yards on 35-281 rushes and 26.5 yards on 4-8 passes. The Cowboys scored on six rushes, two receptions, 4-6 extra-point kicks, and an extra-point run.
Individually, Ward averaged 15.0 (5-75) yards per carry, Klump 9.2 (9-83) yards, Cooke 9.0 (4-36) yards, Burkhead 6.0 (8-48) yards, Morales 4.8 (5-24) yards, and Nathan Moore 2.3 (3-7) yards. Hill threw for 95 yards on 3-6 passes with no interceptions, and junior Steele Romney threw for 11 yards on one pass, also with no interceptions. Cooke caught a pass for 43 yards, Jackson 1-34, Ward 1-18, and Burkhead 1-11.
Defensively, 15 Cowboys recorded tackles, none more than four. Jackson, Morales, and Ward each had three solo tackles; Cooke, Douglas, Klump, and Wyatt each made a tackle for a loss; Cooke, sophomore Brendon Douglas, and junior Carl Wyatt each recorded a quarterback sack; Nelson deflected two passes, and Jackson one; Jackson and Nelson both had an interception; and Morales recovered a fumble.
The kicking game averaged 45.0 (6-243) yards per kick-off and 37.0 (3-111) yards per punt.
2A South 1 Region
The team standings after a week of competition are Tombstone (1-0 overall, 0-1 region), Bisbee (0-1, 0-1), Tucson Palo Verde Magnet (0-1, 0-1), Tucson Santa Rita (0-1, 0-1), and Tucson Tanque Verde (0-1, 0-1).
2A South 2 Region
The team standings following the first week of competition are Benson (1-0 overall, 0-1 region), Willcox (1-0, 0-1), Eloy Santa Cruz (1-0, 0-1), and Tucson Desert Christian (0-1, 0-1).
