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Anthem
comes of age
Boulder
Creek hosts area’s first varsity football game
Flagstaff
66, Boulder Creek 0
by
Jason Stone
ANTHEM
– It wasn’t the Super Bowl, but last Friday night’s Boulder
Creek football home opener against Flagstaff High seemed
bigger than a game that had no playoff implications for
either team.
Hoping
to capture the community’s excitement for the new program,
Boulder Creek’s administration and booster club went all
out–shooting off fireworks before the game, unveiling a
new painted logo at midfield, even holding a raffle for
a chance to win $10,000 at halftime.
The
only thing missing from the event was a good game. Flagstaff
High, an established team with a handful of state championships
to its credit, took advantage of the Jaguars’ newbie status
and handed them a 66‑0 whitewash in front of a packed
crowd.
“After
a night like that, you just have to take a step back, take
a deep breath, and see where you’re at,” said Boulder Creek
coach Scott Heideman, whose team fell to 0‑4 in its
first season. “I’ve never quite got used to losing. Something
like that is a hard pill to swallow.”
The
game was over early when Flagstaff scored seven first‑half
touchdowns. Boulder Creek had no answer for Eagles star
James Brooks, a recruit of ASU, Michigan and UCLA among
others. Brooks caught five passes for 113 yards and made
eight tackles on defense.
The
Eagles’ domination, however, didn’t take away the fun of
the first night of varsity football in Anthem for the Jaguars’
fans. The stands were already half‑full 75 minutes
before the game and BCHS boosters were busy selling red
“Welcome to the Jungle” T‑shirts.
Prior
to taking the field, the Jaguars began a new tradition of
running out of the locker room with a large U.S. flag. Senior
lineman Vaughn Walker even played guitar as part of a jazzed‑up
version of the Star Spangled Banner.
Heideman
was hoping the good feelings would continue into the game,
but Flagstaff, Heideman’s alma mater, had other ideas.
The
Eagles scored on their first possession as Brooks hauled
in a one‑handed catch for 28 yards to keep the drive
going on a third‑down play. Quarterback Luke Hawthorne
hit Matt Shirley on a 10‑yard score to put Flag up
7‑0.
Boulder
Creek appeared to be ready to answer when Cody Witherrite
rumbled for a 50‑yard touchdown, but a holding penalty
nullified the play.
“That
really hurt us, not getting that touchdown,” Heideman
said.
Flagstaff
forced a fumble three plays later and turned that into
another touchdown. Brooks made his second spectacular
catch of the game when he sprinted behind the defense,
reached up for the ball, and tipped it in the air three
times before securing it for a 59‑yard gain. Four
plays later on a fourth‑and‑3 from the 4,
Hawthorne threw a swing pass to Brooks, who barreled into
the end zone.
Boulder
Creek then put together its most sustained drive of the
night, taking 13 plays to drive from its 20 to Flagstaff’s
20. But back‑to‑back sacks on third and fourth
downs ended the drive on downs.
Flagstaff
took the ball and again scored in seven plays–this time
when Hawthorne found Robert Cottrell for a 33‑yard
score to make it 21‑0 near the beginning of the
second quarter.
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