Third Time’s a Charm for Flagstaff’s Eagles
Lumberjack Stadium
LEADING IN: Hadley Hicks took over an Eagle program that won but one game in 1970 under long-time coach John Ply. He sought to change the entire attitude of the program right away, pursuing a rigorous conditioning regimen and opting for a more wide-open offensive scheme. Bill Epperson was in rebuilding mode as well, as the Panthers stumbled through ’70 with a 3-6 mark. In the ’71 season opener, the game was set as a duel between Flag High’s size and Coconino’s speed.
THE GAME: The Eagles proved themselves to be just as fast, if not faster, than the Panthers tonight. Though a low scoring, defensive battle, Flag High made plays when they had to. FHS got on the board late in the first quarter, with junior quarterback Jerry Hansen driving the Eagles downfield and firing an 18-yard score to Felton Burr. Up 7-0 at halftime, The Eagles forced the Panthers to punt early in the third quarter, which Jerry Nichols fielded and raced 79 yards for a score. Coconino simply could not get anything going on offense, their running attack barely eking out three yards a carry, and senior quarterback Tom Pearsall (having converted from end in the offseason) completing all of four of his 17 passes for 54 yards and one interception. Give both defense a lot of credit for grinding the game down to the proverbial three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust, but the Eagles simply made more big plays.
AT THE END OF THE DAY: Hicks’s Eagles were indeed improved over previous recent incarnations, ending 1971 at .500 (5-5). The Panthers muddled through another 3-6 campaign. This game marked the inauguration of the Cromer Awards, given to the most outstanding player from each team; Nichols won the award for the Eagles, having made the signature play of the game, while Pearsall represented the Panthers.
SCORING SUMMARY
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
F |
Coconino |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
7 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
14 |
FHS: Burr 18 pass from Hansen (Hickman PAT)
FHS: Nichols 79 punt return (Hickman PAT)
TEAM TOTALS
|
|
Coconino |
14 |
Score |
0 |
10 |
First Downs |
11 |
36-148 |
Rushing (Carries-Yards) |
31-102 |
|
Passing (Comp-Att-Int) |
|
76 |
Passing Yards |
54 |
224 |
Total Offense |
156 |
2-1 |
Fumbles-Lost |
3-1 |
1 |
Turnovers |
2 |
9-85 |
Penalties-Yards |
3-25 |
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING
McCain: 10 rushes, 51 yards; Hickman: 8 rushes, 38 yards; Evans: 8 rushes, 36 yards; Nichols: 5 rushes, 27 yards;
COCONINO:
A. Herrera: 14 rushes, 66 yards; Thieme: 5 rushes, 14 yards; Arias: 2 rushes, 11 yards; Mauk: 3 rushes, 10 yards; Howard: 2 rushes, 3 yards; Pearsall: 5 rushes, 1 yard
RECEIVING
Burr: 3 rec, 31 yards, 1 TD; Evans: 2 rec, 24 yards; Nichols: 1 re, 22 yards
COCONINO
Thieme: 2 rec, 29 yards; R. Tsingine: 1 rec, 22 yards; Maestas: 1 rec, 3 yards
PASSING
Hansen: 7 att, 4 comp, 53 yards, 1 TD;
COCONINO
Pearsall: 17 att, 4 comp, 54 yards, 1 int
Original story written by Joel Hobbs of the