Danny Elkhoury is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Campo Verde High School for AZPreps365.com

GILBERT — The junior varsity football team at Campo Verde put on a show against region-opponent Skyline in an assertive 58-16 victory Thursday night.

This game was never close. In the blink of an eye, Campo Verde had taken the game and ran with it, scoring on all seven of its offensive drives in the first half.

“Keep the momentum, get the energy flowing,” head coach Jason Perales said. “I always preach setting the tone both on special teams and starting the drive off right because we can keep them on their heels.” 

The tone was set in the first drive of the game when the Campo Verde defense forced a punt, which was blocked to set the Coyotes up at Skyline's 4-yard line.

On the first play for the Campo Verde offense, junior running back Ford Carter rushed the ball into the back of the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. With a successful 2-point conversion, the Coyotes were up 8-0 in the first two minutes.

The early lead was credited to Carter, who rushed for three touchdowns in the first half alone. Another notable player was junior quarterback and team captain Bivansu Sharma, who on the first play of the second drive connected with wide receiver Darrick Fortune for a 55-yard receiving touchdown.

“It really got us excited after that,” team captain Eddie Aranda said. “After that, we just started killing them.”

Sharma isn’t the only quarterback on the team who impressed, as sophomore Gabe Zappia connected a 33-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jayden White, as well as picking up a rushing touchdown near the end of the second quarter.

By halftime, the game was far out of reach, as Campo Verde led by 30 with two quarters still left to play. 

“To stay collected and to stay on task and to keep the game going – We performed really well,” sophomore team captain Troy Maynes said.

The second half had no surprises as Campo Verde opened with a 90-yard kick return by junior Nathan Brown to start the Coyote offense at the 6-yard line. Zappia scored his second rushing touchdown two plays later.

Campo Verde continued to step on the gas and never gave up the lead.

This victory officially makes Campo Verde undefeated in the 5A San Tan Region, tying second in the rankings with ALA-Gilbert North. It also brings it to an even regular-season record of 3-3.

By scoring 58 points, Campo Verde passed the 200-point mark for the season.

“It's nice being able to put some points on the board,” Perales said. “As a former offensive coordinator, I know it can be hard. Just every week, making sure that the guys know what the game plan is and what we're doing and be able to come out on Thursday to perform. Huge.” 

Two back-to-back wins by over 30 points for Campo Verde means momentum for the school heading into the second half of the season.

Next week, Campo Verde looks to continue its dominance over a formidable ALA-Gilbert North team. This region game has the potential to solidify a top spot for the Coyotes in the 5A San Tan Region rankings.