Mesa Football team finds mixed results in first two games
After two controlled scrimmages played out of state, the Mesa Thunderbird football team was anxious to hit the gridiron in a real game situation. On September 9, the team traveled to Tucson to take on Pima Community College. Though Pima is in the ACCAC, this game didn’t count in the regular season standings. On September 16, the Thunderbirds headed east to Thatcher, Arizona to take on Eastern Arizona Community College in the regular season opener.
Sept. 9
From the opening kickoff in MCC’s game against Pima, defense for the Thunderbirds was the strongpoint, as is becoming a trademark for this year’s team. The Aztecs had very little success moving the ball against the Mesa defense, as the Thunderbirds held Pima to just 92 yards of offense in a 31-7 victory.
Emmanuel Butters anchored the defense with a solid effort that included eight tackles, a sack, and a deflected pass. Cameron Copeland and Billy Ray Weathorford also played solid defense for the Thunderbirds.
Offensively, Victor Anderson played consistently at quarterback, running in two touchdowns himself. He spread the ball in the air to receivers Vincent Anderson, Devin Smith, Rudy Fleming, and Corey Brown. Two freshmen, Brandon Jordan and Jay Leal were solid on the ground for the Thunderbirds.
Mesa continued to be impressive in the kicking game as Scot Wilcox converted on all four of his extra point attempts, and had a 35 yard field goal. Punter Ben Nowicki had a punting average of just under 40 yards, pinning two punts inside the 10 yard line.
Sept. 16
In the Thunderbirds regular season opener, Mesa failed to move the ball on offense, resulting in a 21-0 loss to Eastern Arizona. Despite the loss there were bright spots for the Thunderbirds.
Mesa played solid defense, as the game was tied at zero until midway into the third quarter, when the Gila Monsters beat the secondary to strike on a 60 yard pass play. The other two scores for Eastern came on short runs late in the game.
Offensively, freshman Brandon Jordan played well, posting nearly a six yard per carry average, rushing 15 times for 88 yards. Jay Leal had 26 yards on the ground and Vincent Anderson led Thunderbird receivers with four catches for 31 yards.
Statistics for this article were courtesy of Lew Shaw, MCC Sports Imformation Director.