The Denair High School Coyotes came up short against the undefeated Orestimba High School Warriors Friday night, dropping the contest 58-20 in a game that saw little offense from the home team.
It was a steep hill to climb for the Coyotes if they wanted to come out with a victory in week four of Southern League play, but consistency was their downfall, said head coach Anthony Armas.
“Effort wasn’t our issue,” said Armas. “I think we gave effort, we just didn’t execute very well at all tonight. It’s been kind of our bugaboo all year.”
The Coyotes came out strong in the game’s first quarter, with Orestimba’s first drive ending thanks to a sack from Denair’s Bryson Prock. On the Warriors’ ensuing punt, Scott Badal was able to block the punt, putting the Coyotes in scoring position on Orestimba’s half of the field.
Denair was unable to score on that drive, and Orestimba drew first blood on the following play with a 51-yard touchdown run from Tymon Bolden – the only points the Warriors scored in the first quarter.
“That first quarter we played really well, and then all of a sudden, the longer the game went on, the more inconsistency there was,” said Armas. “We were making mistakes here and there, and Orestimba just capitalized on them. They’re a good team and if you make mistakes they’re going to make you pay for it.”
Orestimba was able to score thrice more in the game’s second quarter – two 20-plus yard touchdowns from Bolden and Jacob Sheldon, and a safety when Denair quarterback Drew Pritchard was sacked in the Coyotes’ end zone. With the score 23-0, however, tight end Blake Davis completed a 27-yard rushing touchdown to put Denair on the board with six seconds left in the half.
The touchdown was a sign of life from a young offense that has struggled as the season goes on, said Armas.
Denair’s last two scores came courtesy of kick returner Hunter Musgrave, who ran for an 88-yard kick return following an Orestimba touchdown to kick off the half, and scored once again in the game’s final seconds via another 80-yard kick return.
Though it wasn’t enough to outscore Orestimba, who went on to grab four more touchdowns, Musgrave said his special teams comrades did everything just right so that he could score.
“Every time I get the ball, I try to take it to the house,” he said. “My team set the blocks perfectly. They were easy touchdowns for me.”
Next week, the 2-5 Coyotes will head to Delhi High School to matchup with their league rivals. Denair is now 1-3 in Southern League play, but Musgrave predicts a stellar outcome for the Coyotes.
