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Jaden Pace carries the ball while several Wildkats work to bring him down.
A last-minute change of venue didn’t have much effect on the Ray football team last Friday night after a blown transformer forced the Bearcats to host Duncan in their “home” opener at Hayden High School.
Ray later turned out the lights on the Wildkats with a 24 – 0 victory.
The Cats jumped out to an 8 – 0 lead in the opening quarter before putting the game away in the fourth with a pair of touchdowns. The defense, according to Ray assistant coach Jimmy Fessenden, was the difference in the game.
“(Overall), we played a decent game considering that our team was ready to play when the transformer blew but we have room for improvement,” Fessenden told Copper Basin News. “Our defense played with heart and intensity. The (defensive) line and backfield all stepped up, and our first-year players played well.”
Ray will host Mogollon this Friday. The Mustangs did not play in week one.
“I want our team to carry over (the same) intensity to this week,” Fessenden said. “(We need) to see improvement with our linemen on both sides firing off the ball quicker and our linebackers filling the gaps.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Jayden Lagunas (10) and Julian Becerra (54) come in help Jaden Pace, who has the ball.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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