High School Football in the News

 Corona capitalizes on Red Mountain turnovers

By Les Willsey, Tribune

Two defending 5A Division I region champs from 2007 squared off Thursday night at Tempe Corona del Sol and it was the Aztecs that had the look of picking up where they left off last season.  The host Aztecs took advantage of three Mesa Red Mountain turnovers in the second quarter and dominated at the line of scrimmage from start to finish in dismantling the fifth-ranked Mountain Lions, 37-12, at Hascall Henshaw Stadium.

 “We have a lot of work to do,” Red Mountain coach Jim Jones said after watching his club stumble from the gate in its season opener. “We have work to do with our offensive line. We have to get five linemen who can sustain their blocks. And the turnovers. They didn’t help either. It was a rough night.”

Collectively it was a great night for Corona (2-0), which had already bested Mesa Dobson in its season opener last week. The Aztecs’ defense limited Red Mountain to 106 yards of offense for the game and a measly five first downs. Add in three takeaways — two picks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown — and Corona is off and running in guarding their Central Region crown. “Our defense is coming along well,” Corona coach Gary Venturo said. “We have a lot of speed at linebacker and we get to the ball. The turnovers were big.”

Junior quarterback Chase Cartwright tossed three touchdown passes for Corona. The second-year starter completed 12 of 19 passes for 170 yards. Two scoring strikes went to wideout Brendon Tunstall and the final one to tight end Luke Macchiaroli that capped a string of 31 consecutive points by the Aztecs and gave them a 31-6 lead with 1:10 left in the third period.

Corona overcame one morsel of adversity when Red Mountain’s Derek Molina returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown with 8:57 left in the first period. Molina added a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD late in the third period for Red Mountain’s other score. The Aztecs answered Molina’s first score by marching 80 yards in 11 plays to take the lead for good, 7-6, with 4:06 left in the first. A 26-yard TD toss from Cartwright to Tunstall on third-and-20 did the trick.

Interceptions by Corona’s Ryan Nolan and Kyle Benson in the second quarter and Nolan’s fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown in that stanza led to 17 points in the period and a comfortable 24-6 lead at intermission. “Sometimes when you give up a big play (punt return) you can’t get past it,” Venturo said. “We can right back. That’s the mark of a good team.”