Wranglers face Blue Ridge in playoffs ... again

By Kevin Cloe, Publisher

Oh no ... not Blue Ridge!

That's how some long-time followers of Wickenburg High School football might have reacted when they learned the local Wranglers would face the Yellow Jackets from the White Mountains in the second round of the 3A state playoffs Friday (Nov. 10) at Tempe High School.

In the past six years, Blue Ridge has bounced the Wranglers out of the state playoffs four times (twice in the state semifinals - 2000 and 2001).

However, Wickenburg's second-year head coach Norris Vaughan won't listen to those concerns.

“It doesn't matter what happened six years ago or five years ago,” he snapped. “This is a new season.”

If season records are any indication, Vaughan is correct.

Blue Ridge has been a perennial powerhouse in the 3A state playoffs - winning seven championships and reaching the state semifinals a year ago. However, the Yellow Jackets are experiencing one of their rare non-championship seasons in 2006. They finished third in the East Region and enter Friday night's contest with an 8-3 season record.

The Wranglers, meanwhile, are ranked No. 2 in the state's 3A Conference with an unblemished 11-0 record. After winning the West Region title, they advanced to the state playoff quarterfinals with a 21-12 victory against visiting Sahuarita Friday night (Nov. 3).

It was the first serious challenge the Wranglers have faced this season, while the Yellow Jackets appear to be improving every week since losing to defending state champion Coolidge (42-16), East Region runner-up Show Low (33-7) and East Region champion Round Valley (24-10) earlier in the season.

“They are a lot better than they were at the beginning of the season,” noted Coach Vaughan. “They have more diversity than any team we have seen this season.”

Although they aren't among the state's best, the Yellow Jackets' offense will be guided by quarterback Bryan Williams (averaging five completed passes for almost 100 yards per game), running backs Frank Parkinson (averaging 15 carries, 100 yards and one touchdown) and Jose Rosales (averaging nine carries and 50 yards), and receiver Ryan Martinez (averaging three catches for 60 yards per outing).

Blue Ridge picked up a key player at midseason when sophomore fullback/linebacker Steel Armstrong transferred from Payson after being kicked off that team for disciplinary reasons. He is expected to be one of the leading tacklers for the Yellow Jackets.

Wickenburg, meanwhile, does have some of the state leaders - both offensively and defensively.

They include junior quarterback Drew Vaughan (averaging nine completions and 140 yards), fullback Scott McKeever (averaging 15 carries and 130 yards) and receiver Tyler Murphy (averaging four catches and 70 yards) on the offense. The defense is led by Jeff Alder and Kellen Henderson at linebacker and lineman Flint Miller with 10 tackles per outing, the defensive backs Jordan Pollei (four interceptions for the season), Dallas Mills (three) and Tyler Murphy (three).

After winning their first 10 games in comfortable fashion this season (averaging a 45-6 score), the Wranglers were taken to the final two minutes of the game last Friday night by Sahuarita, which finished fourth in its 3A South Region and finished with a 7-4 season record.

“Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” noted Coach Vaughan after the victory Friday night, “yet they (his Wranglers) still persevered. I'm proud of them for that.”

Not only did the Wranglers uncharacteristically give up the ball three times on turnovers (two fumbles and one interception), but they were penalized 10 times for a total of 93 yards. Several of those penalties nullified big offensive plays by the Wranglers.

“We must have lost another 150 yards on those plays (that were called back),” Norris said about the penalties - many of which were offensive holding calls. “And they were legal blocks, but the officials called them holding.”

Two of Wickenburg's three turnovers occurred in the first quarter, when the Wranglers normally demoralized opponents with early big offensive plays and touchdowns. As a result - with the help of a stubborn Wickenburg defense - the first quarter ended up scoreless.

Then in the second quarter, the Wranglers' offense started to explode. Senior halfback Jeff Alder busted loose for a 63-yard touchdown run to cap a six-play drive.

After the Wickenburg defense forced Sahuarita to punt deep in their own territory, the Wranglers took only four plays to score from the Mustangs' 29 yard line. Alder took that one in, too, from five yards out.

Junior quarterback R.J. Acosta - effectively deceiving the Wrangler defense with his (or quarterback keepers) - put the Mustangs on the scoreboard with a 31-yard run down the right sideline with two minutes remaining in the first half. It was eerily similar to the play that eventual state champion Coolidge utilized to defeat the Wranglers in the state semifinals last year.

Wickenburg had only five offensive plays in the third quarter (to Sahuarita's 18) and was forced to punt in its only series. Sahuarita then closed the gap to 14-12 with a touchdown early in the fourth period (on a 15-play drive that overlapped the third and fourth quarters).

The Wranglers coughed up the ball on a fumble with five minutes to play, but then the Wranglers' defense would only allow the Mustangs 17 yards in six plays before giving up the ball on downs.

McKeever then erupted on a 36-yard run to the Sahuarita 1 yard line and scored one play later to give the Wranglers a more comfortable lead (20-12). Although the touchdown widened the margin, it required junior Derek Sievert's extra point (from 30 yards out after a major Wickenburg penalty) that actually clinched the victory.

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