Opening game of the season, getting back to playing competitive football, and the adrenaline spike all tend to bring on first-game jitters.
Willcox wasn’t immune to those jitters as it was flagged for three penalties in their first possession against Palo Verde on Friday night.
With the second possession came focus as the Cowboys shut out the Titans, 49-0.
“I think everyone was excited. I think it was just jitters,” Willcox senior quarterback Joseph Sanchez said. “This entire team, the whole roster, loves football. They love playing the game more than anything, and I think getting out here, they had some jitters, a little rust to knock off. I think we definitely got that down and we’ll be good.”
Willcox senior quarterback Joseph Sanchez talks about the team culture, how coach Jeston Lotts coaching mentality builds amazing players and amazing young men and knocking off the first game rust. @AllSportsTucson pic.twitter.com/YuKMP4WgQy
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) August 23, 2025
“We try and give them some grace and it was hard at the beginning, especially after a 70-80 yard touchdown and it gets called back,” Willcox coach Jeston Lotts said. “It just kind of deflates you and we get a lot of that. I have to remind myself that, yes, first-game jitters. They’re not breathing while they’re playing. They’re trying to do their job and think of all these hundred other things, so, yeah, first-game jitters was for real here at the beginning. We went the wrong way.”
With the rust knocked off, the Cowboys put together a dominant game, holding the Titans scoreless and scoring six rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.
The first Willcox touchdown came off of a Sanchez handoff to Kaleb Cooke. Palo Verde blocked the extra-point try.
Palo Verde fumbled on its next possession, giving the ball to the Cowboys at the Titans’ 11-yard line.
The Cowboys took advantage of the turnover when Ismael Cuevas ran into the end zone on the first offensive snap.
Willcox’s defense held Palo Verde on fourth-and-2, giving the Cowboys’ offense the ball at the Titans’ 28.
The Cowboys cashed in on the turnover when Asher Ward secured the handoff from Sanchez, running into the left corner of the end zone.
A two-point conversion by Cooke put Willcox ahead 21-0.
The lone passing touchdown for Willcox came with 7:11 left in the first half when Sanchez found Anthony Morales cutting up the left field line.
A pass from Sanchez to Anthony Morales scores another TD for the Cowboys.
Extra point is good by Cuevas and Willcox leads Palo Verde 28-0 with 7:33 to go in the half. @AllSportsTucson pic.twitter.com/9LCdLCp5wc
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) August 23, 2025
Less than two minutes later, Cuevas had an interception, setting the Cowboys up at the Titans 25.
Cuevas got the handoff from Sanchez to convert his interception into a touchdown and then nailed the extra-point.
With 1:10 left in the first half, Ward scored his second rushing touchdown of the game to give Willcox a 42-0 lead at halftime.
As temperatures were still hitting around 100 degrees and the first half going long, the coaches from both teams agreed to have a running clock for the second half.
Willcox’s final score of the game came in the fourth quarter after the Cowboys’ defense locked down the Titan offense on fourth down, resulting in a turnover on downs. Next play, Cooke rushed through the middle for a touchdown, giving Willcox the 49-0 victory.
“Palo Verde brought everything that they could and we were super proud that they wanted to play us. I have nothing but respect for their coaches,” Lotts said.
Cuevas was named the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Player of the Game after he hit 6-of-7 extra points, had two rushing touchdowns and recorded an interception.
“It’s a thing that you saw older teammates that I had in the past get and it’s a goal that one works for all the way until here and finally getting awards and stuff,” Cuevas said. “It feels great, especially like I said before my line, I can’t do it without them I’ve been untouched most of the game.”
Willcox Senior LB/RB and K Ismael Cuevas earned Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Player of the Game.. he was nearly perfect on extra points (6 out of 7), had an interception and two rushing touchdowns. He talks about the team preparation for the first game of the season and winning the… pic.twitter.com/2y6hSkC1EA
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) August 23, 2025
Setting the team up with the right mentality and creating a positive culture is something that coach Lotts emphasizes while coaching up his student athletes.
“Coach Lotts, his mentality is that he’s not here to build amazing football players he’s here to build amazing young men,” Sanchez said.
“It started with the you-before-me attitude and having that mantra,” Lotts said about his coaching philosophy. “We do team classes when everybody else is doing spring football and 7-on-7. We’re in the classroom learning our champions notebook, how to earn your badge and be tough and focused and family oriented and that’s just were it stemmed from. i just realized that I get a lot more out of young men if they knew I cared about them.”
Willcox coach Jeston Lotts shares how his coaching philosophy has evolved into a we not me mentality, his relationship with Arizona Lutheran coach David Peter who Willcox plays next week, how the coaching staff keeps the players hydrated during high temperature games and giving… pic.twitter.com/G2Ca2PgzkT
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) August 23, 2025
Next up:
Willcox will travel to the Phoenix area Friday to take on a familiar team and coach in Arizona Lutheran and coach David Peter, who is a friend of coach Lotts.
“Coach Peter and I have had a long standing relationship, even when I was in Parker. We just call each other ‘Hey you want to play? Hey yeah, of course’” Lotts said. “We are just focused on Arizona Lutheran and they are a very physical team. They match us with everything they do and every time I’ve been a head coach with coach Peter, it’s down to the wire. It’s who can grind it out the most. Í we want to see where we stack up.”
Palo Verde will head to ALA-Anthem South for a Titans-versus-Titans matchup.
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