PEORIA — Losing 28 seniors from your first-ever state championship team can make any coach wonder just what’s ahead the following season.
If the 2021 season opener is any indication, Sunrise Mountain Head Coach Steve Decker has nothing to worry about.
The Sunrise Mountain Mustangs looked every part of a defending 5A state champion on Friday night, overwhelming the Cienega Bobcats early and rolling to an impressive 49-6 season-opening victory before a packed house at Mustang Field.
“You never know what you’re going to get when you graduate that many seniors, but these guys have put in a lot of hard work in the offseason,” Decker said after the game. “They have bought into what we do. I really didn’t know what to expect tonight so obviously I’m very pleased.”
The Mustangs managed to score in several different ways — a special teams tally, rushing for three more, passing for a pair and one touchdown on defense via a fumble recovery. Add that to a defense that was all over Cienega junior quarterback Brayden Cherry all night and the game was basically over after one quarter with Sunrise up by four scores.
“We’ve put the rings away,” said Decker, referring to players returning from the 2020 title-winning squad. “We are just worried about playing hard for 48 minutes every game.”
Because of COVID-19 situations, Cienega (0-1) was only able to play one game in 2020. They looked rusty to start the game as a punt snap flew over punter Ethan Schockmel’s head and rolled into the end zone. Sunrise Mountain junior safety Tyler Potts pounced on the ball for a quick lead barely two minutes into the game. Easton Black added the PAT to make it 7-0.
It was more trouble on the next series for the Bobcats as running back Cole McFarland was popped and lost the ball. The Mustangs’ Reece Fink corraled the pigskin and Cienega had suffered two turnovers on their first two possessions.
Sunrise capitalized with a seven-play, 32-yard drive to go up by two scores. On fourth-and-7, Sunrise senior QB Hunter Kronengold tossed a dart to receiver Braden Harvey over the middle to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, running back Rex Underhill took a direct snap for a 3-yard rushing score:
Black hit the PAT to give SMHS a 14-0 lead at the 5:56 mark of the first quarter.
The Mustangs’ D then forced a Bobcats punt. A penalty backed up Sunrise to their own 15, but that was no problem for Kronengold who fired a perfect 85-yard bomb to junior receiver Micah Johnson who had easily beaten the Cienega defense deep across the middle of the field.
“We called that play specifically for Micah,” Kronengold explained after the game. “We’ve been practicing it a lot. He’s one of our best receivers so it was nice to go up top for the score.”
Sunrise Mountain (1-0) had the ball back after another Bobcats’ three-and-out.
Underhill rushed a couple times before Kronengold hooked up again with Johnson, this time for a 40-yard TD strike. When Black made the PAT, the Mustangs had completed a 28-0 first quarter.
Cienega’s demeanor and body language were not good as the second quarter began — and a decent amount of fans who made the trip north from Vail were expressing their frustration as well.
After a Bobcats punt, Sunrise was knocking on the door again but Kronengold had his pass over the middle tipped and intercepted at the goal line.
“I forced it,” Kronengold admitted. “I just need to read the defense better and I will.”
Decker agreed.
“We will clean that up,” the head coach said. “Hunter is very, very good so I’m excited for him down the road.”
Cienega’s offense was still stuck in neutral as the Bobcats again punted on their next series. Sunrise methodically moved down the field, aided by a targeting penalty, and junior running back Caleb Scott bulled in from one yard out at the 3:15 mark of the second quarter:
Black hit the PAT and Sunrise held a 35-0 cushion.
The Bobcats’ lone tally of the game occurred 25 seconds later as Cherry found senior wideout Gunnar Hernandez on a crossing pattern.
Hernandez hauled in the catch and beat the entire Sunrise defense to the left corner of the end zone for a 55-yard TD. Brynnley Lourenco pulled the PAT wide left and Cienega trailed 35-6 with 2:50 left until halftime.
Sunrise wasn’t done with their first-half onslaught. A 47-yard pass from Kronengold to Harvey took the ball to the Cienega 2, where Underhill cashed in at the two-minute mark. Black was good again and Sunrise Mountain led 42-6 at halftime.
With a huge lead, the name of the game was keeping everyone healthy in the second half. The only score of the final two stanzas took place four minutes into the third quarter.
Mustang junior linebacker Tanner Webb forced a fumble after a pass reception and senior cornerback Malachi Marshall was in the right place at the right time to scoop up the ball and dash to the promised land from about 25 yards away.
Black completed a 7-for-7 night on PATs to cap the scoring.
SMHS nearly cracked the 50-point mark later but Cienega’s Malik Ramirez nabbed an interception as the third quarter ended.
With a 49-6 Sunrise Mountain lead, the running clock was in effect for a fourth quarter that took approximately 15 minutes of real time to finish.
Mustang junior QB Austin Prey subbed in for Kronengold to close out the game.
Cienega will be at Buena (1-0) on Friday, Sept. 10 while Sunrise Mountain heads to Horizon (1-0) next week before a pair of back-to-back home slugfests with Liberty and Cactus.
“We gave up a bit too many yards rushing for my liking but overall I have to be happy with so many young guys playing,” Decker said. “It’s a great way to start.”
Matt Loeschman
Editor | Daily Independent
@MattLoeschman
mloeschman@iniusa.org
I have edited and written about almost everything in my 20-year journalism career, but I have a strong passion for sports since my father was a teacher and coach when I was young.
My job has allowed me to meet many influential people, including Hillary Clinton, Al Gore (I have a brief, on-camera part in his second movie), George Strait, Matthew McConaughey and several world-class athletes.
I have worked for Independent Newsmedia on two separate occasions – 2000-09 and 2018-present – after studying journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
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