By Greg Perkins Last week’s win over what appears now to really be a struggling Window Rock team was a solid beginning for the Roadrunners. But Friday night’s 19-8 home field win over Camp Verde was a statement game for Coach Starkey’s group. Last season the Cowboys proved too much for Holbrook using their physicality to run past the Birds. On Friday night Holbrook’s time spent in the weight room showed itself. The Roadrunners played hard and hit even harder. They forced a couple of Cowboy fumbles, and also picked off a pass late in the game to seal the win. Camp Verde came in known for their well-established running game, but Holbrook held them to just under 193 yards on the ground and only five yards through the air. Compare that to last season with the Cowboys rolled up over 400 rushing yards and it is easy to see the improvement the Holbrook team has made in the past 12 months. Holbrook didn’t have a stellar night on offense finishing with just 290 total yards, but their defense got the job done when the points were at a premium. Marcus Oberriter opened the scoring at the 4:12 mark of the first period on a five-yard run. Izzy Ramos lofted the PAT over the goalpost and Holbrook held the 7-0 lead. Camp Verde moved down the field and scoring what would be their only points of the night on a 25-yard touchdown run. They converted the two-point conversion and moved in front 8-7 near the end of the opening period. In the second, Daniel Montijo scored on a three-yard run up the middle putting Holbrook back on top 13-8. That score held up throughout the remainder of the first half and through the entire third period. Ramos put the game out of reach with 2:41 left on the clock. His 21 yard carry off left tackle gave Holbrook the 19-8 lead. A late interception by Montijo ended any chance of a Cowboy comeback and Holbrook finds themselves with their first 2-0 start to a season in several years. Oberriter completed 8 of his 15 passes for 150 total yards. Montijo was the leading receiver with 4 catches for 54 yards. Ramos had two catches for 51 yards. Kyle Smith had one 30-yard reception, and Jace Allison had one 15-yard catch. No one had a stand out night running the ball, but a balanced backfield finished with 140 yards on the ground. Montijo gained 39, Oberriter 36, Ramos 36, and Smith had 29 yards rushing. Senior Caden Tom led a solid defensive effort with 10 tackles including three quarterback sacks. Noland McCabe and Noah Padilla each had 9 tackles. Izzy Ramos fought through late game cramps and finished with 8 tackles. Chase Sahmie had 7 takedowns.
