Chandler Valley Christian football coach Bill Morgan didn’t know what to expect from his players prior to Friday’s Class 2A matchup with Camp Verde.
Chandler Valley Christian football coach Bill Morgan didn’t know what to expect from his players prior to Friday’s Class 2A matchup with Camp Verde.
Fortunately the Trojan players knew exactly what had to be done.
Coming off one of the most difficult weeks the school has had to endure, the visiting Trojans grabbed control of their Central Region opener early and never let go, cruising to a 41-21 victory.
The fourth-ranked Trojans entered the game coming off a loss at Yuma Catholic, and they were still coping with the loss of junior receiver/defensive back Danny Pasanella, who was found dead in his bed on Sept. 21.
"This game could have gone either way for us," Morgan said after his team improved to 4-1 on the season. "Usually, I have a feeling in my gut about what to expect. I didn’t know what was going to happen this time."
Senior Troy Roffi, who scored the team’s first touchdown and finished with 105 yards on 12 carries, said he knew his teammates were ready.
"We had a great week of practice. You could tell we were ready to play," he said.
Valley Christian opened a 28-0 halftime lead and was ahead 41-7 late in the fourth quarter.
Camp Verde (2-4) scored twice in the game’s final minute to make the score seem closer than the game was.
"This team loves one another," said sophomore Kyle O'Brien, who returned a fumble 86 yards for a score. "We have definitely come much closer as a team."
