Walker, Desert Shields overpower Mountain Lions

Cheyenne was looking to make a statement in the Division I-A Sunset League after last week's disappointing home loss to Faith Lutheran.

Thanks to senior running back David Walker, that statement was made loud and clear.

Walker rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries as the Desert Shields blasted host Sierra Vista 50-6 on Friday.

"We needed this after that loss at home against Faith," coach David Cochran said. "We had to try to stay in it, so the kids played well. We are just going to keep pressing. … They can be their own worst enemy, but as long as they are able to stay focused and the coaches stay on them, we can continue to progress from here."

Walker was more direct after his big night.

"We had to make a point; we are in (league) now," he said.

At the start of the game, the Desert Shields (3-2, 2-1 Sunset) looked like they were still feeling the effects of last week's loss.

Sierra Vista quarterback Oscar Aliaga connected with Andrew Dunn on a 51-yard completion. However, the Desert Shields defense got refocused and stopped the drive.

"It was just a miscommunication on the defensive call early on," Cochran said. "The free safety let him slip past him, just a blown coverage basically. No adjustments were necessary. He locked in after that. It kind of woke him up. We were just fortunate enough to not let them score, but that was a big play."

Despite the big stop, it still took a while for Cheyenne's offense to get started. The big spark came on an interception by Ashton Lawson in the end zone.

From that point on, Walker took over.

With the drive starting from Cheyenne's 8-yard line, the senior back blasted through the Mountain Lions defense for a 47-yard gain. Three plays later, Walker scored on a 34-yard run to give the Desert Shields a 7-0 lead.

Two possessions later, Walker again found a hole, rambling 48 yards for another touchdown.

"He got off to a good start early in the season, but he's had a couple of lapses," Cochran said. "It is good to see him bounce back. He is continuing to work hard, and we are pressing on him about continuing to do it consistently. He kind of put it together, and hopefully, we have him on the right track."

Walker credited his amazing performance with all the hard work the team has put in practice and to the great job his offensive line did opening up those holes for him to run through. To his credit, Walker also broke numerous tackles along the way during his incredible night.

"I have to thank my blockers. I give it all up to them," he said.

The Desert Shields added two more touchdowns in the second quarter – an 8-yard run by Corwin Bush and a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dante Haigler from Anthony McConnico – to take a 29-0 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, McConnico connected with George Carmona on a 24-yard scoring strike to push the lead to 36-0. Cajuin Jackson scored on runs of 5 and 52 yards late in the game.

Overall, the Desert Shields' new shotgun double-wing offense ground out 362 yards rushing and gained 75 yards through the air, which pleased the head coach.

"We've been struggling with our offense, so it was very good to get it up and running," Cochran said. "We have installed this new offense based on our personnel this year. It was a good win for us, but we are going to keep on pressing and keep the offense rolling.

"We've been seeing different coverages in an effort to stop our stacked trips. I think we figured out all the ways they'll have a chance to do it, and even when they stop it, we have to go to it again and again because eventually it is going to be effective."

Sierra Vista (1-4, 1-2), which played without leading rusher Daniel Godfrey, was limited to 43 yards on the ground and 66 passing yards — 51 of those came on the first play of the game.

Laron Perkins also intercepted a pass for Cheyenne. Elijah Cocker had two sacks and Haigler had one.

The Mountain Lions broke the shutout when Isaiah Zavala crashed into the end zone on a 3-yard run with 7:29 remaining. Zavala led Sierra Vista with 41 yards on 14 carries.