Maricopa Pulls Away From Casa Grande for 40-16 Victory

Maricopa used contributions from its offense and special teams to defeat Casa Grande 40-16 Thursday night at Casa Grande Union High School, improving to 2-1 on the season.

Maricopa opened the scoring in the first quarter when No. 7 found the end zone on a rushing touchdown, giving the Rams an early 7-0 advantage.

Casa Grande answered with a touchdown reception by No. 3 to even the game at 7-7.

Maricopa quickly regained control when No. 2 returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, putting the Rams back in front 13-7.

Maricopa extended its lead in the second quarter.

No. 7 scored his second rushing touchdown of the night to push the advantage to 20-7 before No. 22 added another rushing touchdown, sending the Rams into halftime leading 27-7.

The Rams added to their advantage in the third quarter when No. 27 connected on a field goal from more than 40 yards out, making it 30-7.

Casa Grande began to cut into the deficit in the fourth quarter.

A snap over the Maricopa punter's head resulted in a safety for the Cougars, making it 30-9.

Casa Grande then added a touchdown reception by No. 4, bringing the score to 30-16.

Maricopa responded with another field goal from No. 27 to extend its lead to 33-16.

The Rams then closed the scoring when No. 11 returned a punt for a touchdown, sealing the 40-16 victory.

After the game, Maricopa's head coach pointed to increased trust throughout the program as one of the biggest differences since Week 1.

"Trusting each other," the coach said. "They're trusting their coaches and coaches are trusting the players."

Despite the victory, the coach said execution remains an area Maricopa needs to improve. He noted that the Rams were caught off guard at times by Casa Grande's hurry-up offense and also committed unnecessary penalties offensively.

"We gotta still improve on execution," the coach said, emphasizing the need for better awareness and cleaner play as Maricopa continues its season.

With the road victory, Maricopa moves to 2-1.