By Marcus D. Smith—
Mesa Verde High School varsity football opened up the Golden Empire League play with a 20-7 win against the Pioneer Patriots on Friday night.
It was a solid performance overall from top to bottom. The Mavericks led at halftime by six behind the only touchdown of the half, provided by senior running back J’Shawn Brown, on a 38-yard sprint to the end zone.
After the Patriots answered with a passing touchdown of their own, Mesa Verde responded by moving the ball fluently on offense, to end with a quarterback boot for 6’3 senior Jaden Burger to easily score for the Mavericks and extend their lead to 12-7.
Defensively, the Mavericks would add a force fumble to their season stats, as well as a safety. After going up, 14-7, they would eventually cap the game with a late-game touchdown with two minutes in the game that would seal the deal on the night.
Related: Mesa Verde HS football begins Golden Empire League with momentum, new identity
This win adds another to the column, increasing their overall record to 4-1, and now 1-0 in league play. Earlier in the week, Mesa Verde Athletic Director Kevin Anderson said this was a huge game, due to the need to set the tone in league play.
In a post-game tweet from Mesa Verde’s official Twitter page, he called it the Mavericks “biggest win in over a decade. It’s a new game in the Heights.”
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This win places them atop of the Golden Empire League early in the standings, and overall giving them the best win record percentage in the league, .800.
The Mavericks look to ride this momentum into next Friday as they travel to Dixon to take on the Rams of Dixon High School. Kickoff begins at 7 p.m.
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The Sentinel is pleased to introduce sports reporter Marcus D. Smith, who will be covering high school sports in Citrus Heights. Smith is a Sacramento-area native and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2017.
Mesa Verde High School varsity football opened up the Golden Empire League play with a 20-7 win against the Pioneer Patriots on Friday night...
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