Playing in the fourth and final game of the Kickoff Classic at the Skydome in Flagstaff last Saturday night, the Roadrunners didn’t begin their game until nearly 8 o’clock. While the game had a late kickoff, Holbrook’s starting quarterback, senior Ryan Short, had an early exit as he was injured on the Roadrunners’ first offensive play of the season. Perhaps that was an omen, as the Birds lost to the Wickenburg Wranglers, 32-6.
The Roadrunners were backed up into their own end on their first two possessions and Wickenburg took advantage of short field position to score twice in the first period to lead 14-0.
While Holbrook’s starting quarterback was out with an injury, the Wranglers played the entire game without a quarterback after losing theirs to injury during the week. They just snapped the ball directly to running backs, which proved to be quite effective.
Wickenburg’s Kegan Lindsey scored on a 38-yard run with 9:48 left in the first, then Alex Carrasco punched another one in from two yards out with 4:46 left in the first.
In the second period Lindsey capped off an 84-yard Wrangler drive with a two-yard run to make the score at the half 20-0 in favor of Wickenburg.
The Roadrunners showed some life on their first defensive possession of the second half, holding Wickenburg’s ground attack to three and out, but the Holbrook offense couldn’t move the ball well enough to get back in the game.
The Wranglers pushed the lead to 26-0 with 30 seconds left in the third on a 13-yard Carrasco run. Early in the fourth Carrasco again found the end zone, this time from 63 yards away, making the margin 32-0.
Holbrook finally got on the board with 6:09 left in the game on a Finn Kinghorn six-yard run around left end. Kinghorn won a footrace to the pylon to punch the ball in for Holbrook’s only score of the night in the 32-6 loss.
The Roadrunners struggled to find rhythm on offense, finishing the night with just six first downs and 105 total yards. Wickenburg countered with 18 first downs and gained 449 yards of offense, all on the ground with the exception of one halfback option pass, which went for 21 yards.
Zakhari Waits did get going a little in the second half, finishing the game with 78 yards on 15 rushes. Jeffrey Jones carried three times, gaining 14 yards, and Kinghorn carried twice for 12 yards and a score.
Kinghorn also completed two of 13 passes for one yard with one interception, which occurred in Wickenburg’s end zone.
Cole McDaniel had two catches for one yard.
Jeffrey Jones had the highlight of the night, returning one of the Wrangler kickoffs 77 yards, coming up just short of the end zone on the return.
Defensively, the Birds were led by McDaniel, who was credited with 17 tackles. Frankie Ulibarri had 15; Darrin Tyler, 11; and Jeffrey Jones, 10.
The Roadrunners will host Monument Valley on Friday night, Sept. 1, in their home opener. The Mustangs fell to Winslow last Friday night, 35-6. Last season Holbrook dropped the game in Kayenta 31-14.
