Wranglers (4-0) keep rolling over opponents, 25-0

By Kevin Cloe, Publisher

Wrangler Sheldon Murphy (3) found himself running unimpeded several times Friday night, but most of the yards he covered against visiting Estrella Foothills were negated by penalties. He still ended up with 84 yards and one touchdown in the 25-0 victory.

Even though they are thoroughly dominating their opponents, Wickenburg High School’s Wranglers are not finding it easy to cruise through their regular season football schedule.

Ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in Arizona’s 3A Conference by a handful of media and Internet polls, the Wranglers are either sorting out wrinkles in their new offense or working extra to overcome penalties that negate big offensive plays.

The latter was Wickenburg’s latest challenge Friday night (Sept. 19) when it shut out visiting Estrella Foothills 25-0 in the 2008 3A West Region opener.

And now the Wranglers (4-0 for the season) will make the three-hour trip to River Valley (2-2) along the Colorado River this Friday night (Sept. 26) to face another West Region team that is showing potential to offer a challenge.

The hosting Dust Devils are coming off a 54-0 victory against winless Sedona Red Rock and lean on quarterback Jake Anselmo and running back Robert Stahel for their offensive attack. Anselmo averages about 100 yards through the air, and Stahel has averaged about 100 yards rushing so far this season.

River Valley’s other three outings were against two out-of-state teams -- loss to Boulder City, Nev., and win against Needles, Calif. - and upriver 4A Mohave (loss).

Last year, the Wranglers defeated the visiting Dust Devils, 27-0, during a Homecoming rainstorm.

Going into last Friday’s game, Coach Norris Vaughan’s squad had averaged 46 points per game on the offense and the defense gave up an average of only three points. So the 25-0 victory against Estrella Foothills might indicate slightly tougher competition. However, one Wrangler scoring threat late in the first half was thwarted by a major penalty, and three second-half touchdowns were called back due to other penalties.

Wickenburg scored on three of its five possessions in the first half, with a lost fumble at the Wolves’ 12 yard line and the late 15-yard penalty that resulted in an unsuccessful fourth-down play being the only non-scoring drives.

In the third period, the Wranglers saw one drive end in an interception with a second resulting in a punt. The one-yard touchdown run by Murphy in the fourth quarter was set up by Thompson’s 83-yard run.

Senior running back Sheldon Murphy finished the night with 84 yards rushing on 11 carries, but three other long touchdown runs were called back due to penalties that would have added at least another 150 yards.

The Wranglers’ offense eventually ended up with 385 yards in total offense compared to Estrella Foothills’ 154.

Senior fullback Chance Thompson led the offensive effort with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries but also hauled in three passes for 94 yards. He also led the defense from his linebacker position, where he averages almost nine tackles per outing.

Senior quarterback Dallas Mills, who struggled with his passing game in the previous game against visiting Santa Cruz, bounced back nicely with his three completions to Thompson in the first half for 94 yards. He also recorded Wickenburg’s second touchdown Friday night on a five-yard run.

The game was punctuated frequently with yellow flags all night, with officials citing Wickenburg 12 times for 95 yards and Estrella Foothills another eight times for 68 yards.

And to add to all the oddities of the night, the stadium scoreboard malfunctioned through most of the game -- leaving fans not knowing when the time ran out at the quarters or what the score was if they weren’t paying attention.

(Look for Wrangler game story and results around the rest of the state’s 3A conference by noon Saturday by going to www.wickenburgsun.com and clicking on 3A Sports).

Print this story

Email this story

Click ads for more information