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Colt Schmuker rushed for 157 yards (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
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As always, a color 11×17 hardcopy of this article is available for only $10. amoralesmytucson@yahoo.com
The Tucson Youth Football & Spirit Federation (TYFSF) Game of the Week featured the Flag teams from the Marana Broncos and the Tanque Verde Cowboys with the Cowboys posting a 47-13 victory at Catalina Foothills High School on Saturday.
This is where it all begins, five to seven year old kids learning the game of football in a controlled yet competitive atmosphere. The game is played on a 60-yard field with 15-yard zones instead of a 10-yard structure for first downs.
Tanque Verde took the ball first and the Cowboys didn’t waste their time with Boden Lewis running for 10 yards, Colt Schmuker going for 20 and Cooper Payne scoring from 20 yards out to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. Schmuker ran in the extra point.
The Broncos gave the ball back on downs and Payne would score from 7-yards out to make it 14-0 with Lewis picking up the extra point.
Then came Bryce Thomas. Thomas broke a few tackles and ripped off a 50-yard dash to cut the Cowboy lead down to 14-6. The Cowboys responded on a long drive with Lewis scoring from three yards out to make it 21-6. Schmuker provided the extra point and the first half came to an end.
The Cowboys held the Broncos after the break and Schmuker went to the air on a long 4th-down play and Payne pulled the pass down for a 20-yard strike to make it 28-6 with Schmuker scoring the extra point.
Schmuker finished with 157 yards rushing and two touchdown runs to go along with his 20-yard TD pass. The seven-year-old called his team “fast” and “good” after the game.
“We are all good and I ran fast today,” Schmuker explained. “I had fun.”
On his touchdown pass?
“I liked it because it went far. I can throw far,” he added.
Schmuker would run another one in from 25 yards out later in the game and Payne added the extra point to give the Cowboys a 35-6 lead. Payne came right back and intercepted a pass and ran it back 15 yards for a 41-6 lead.
Payne finished with 22 yards rushing, 20 yards receiving with a 15-yard interception return. In all, he scored four touchdowns.
Lewis added 19 yards rushing for the Cowboys.
But Thomas wasn’t finished and he broke through the middle and hurdled players downfield to score on another 50-yard dash to cut the lead down to 41-13 with Thomas providing the extra point.
Thomas collected 128 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns.
“I had fun on my runs today,” Thomas said. “My team is really fast and really good and we work really hard every game.”
His teammate Mason Willis gained 18 yards rushing and Gavin White added 15 more.
Like Thomas, Schmuker wasn’t done and he ended the game on a 50-yard scoring run on the next play for the 47-13 final.
Bryce Thomas on his second 50-yard scoring run.
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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014 and has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. His own children have won multiple state high school championships and were named to all-state teams. Competing in hockey, basketball, baseball and track & field in high school, his unique perspective can only be found here, on AZPreps365.com and on the pages of the Vail Voice and the Tanque Verde Voice. Contact Andy Morales at AMoralesMyTucson@yahoo.com
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