The Aubrey Chaparrals football program hosted its regular season opener at Chaparral Memorial Stadium against the Sunnyvale Raiders on Aug. 29, with the Raiders walking away with the 35-17 win.
The No. 6 ranked Raiders took full advantage of the Chaps' inexperienced roster, racing out to an early threetouchdown lead in the first half and never letting the Chaps find their footing.
“You hope to come in and have a great deal of success and come out with a win, but that didn't happen tonight, but nonetheless I was super proud of our guys and their effort,” said Keith Ivy, Aubrey athletic director and head football coach. “They played extremely hard, especially for a younger team, and we're going to grow a little bit each week and continue to get better, and that's really what these non-district games are for: continuing to strive to get a little bit better individually and ultimately as a team to gel to come together.”
Sunnyvale got on the scoreboard first with a 45yard touchdown strike from quarterback Cayson Maupin to wide receiver Riley Harris, putting them up 7-0 in the first quarter after a successful extra point kick.
Maupin found the end zone again in the second quarter with a short goal line plunge, giving the Raiders a two-possession lead.
Sunnyvale extended their lead to 21-0 when Maupin found another open receiver in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
A 75-yard touchdown run from Chaps running back Camron Haygood finally got Aubrey on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter, cutting the Raiders’ lead to 14.
Sunnyvale responded with their fourth touchdown in the first half when Maupin found wide receiver Greyson Walker behind Aubrey’s secondary for an 82-yard bomb, regaining the Raiders’ three-score lead.
Aubrey kicker Peyton Campbell would make the score a little closer with a 23yard field goal, sending the teams into halftime with Sunnyvale leading 28-10.
Maupin would tack on his fifth touchdown of the night with an 11-yard pass to receiver Ben Griffin in the third quarter, extending the Raiders’ lead to 35-10.
Aubrey would add a late score in the fourth quarter when quarterback Will Storey connected with receiver Luke Hellman for a 39-yard touchdown pass, but Sunnyvale would hold on to win 3517.
While Aubrey’s defense had a hard time stopping Sunnyvale’s big plays, the unit was able to help the Chaps win the turnover battle, forcing and recovering 2 fumbles and snagging an interception.
“We gave up a few plays,” Ivy said. “I think we only had 15 plays on defense in the first half, so we weren't out there very much, but they continued to rally. Coach Bloedel and our defensive coaches do a good job preaching forcing turnovers, and we work on that quite a bit in practice, and tonight, we were able to get a few.”
Despite the loss, Ivy emphasized how proud he was of his team’s effort and said he expects the Chaps’ young roster to continue to grow.
“They never stop playing until the last second,” he said. “We talked about playing for your brother and playing for that Aubrey across your chest, and I felt like they did that tonight. They know what the end goal is; it’s to get to district playing at a high level and ultimately get back in the playoffs.”
