Canyon Springs rolls over Cheyenne, 42-8

There is little question as to just how special Donnel Pumphrey is when he has the football in his hands.

The Canyon Springs senior scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half and added a kickoff return for a score to lead the fifth-ranked Pioneers to a 42-8 home victory over No. 9 Cheyenne on Friday night.

Despite the gaudy numbers, it was a third quarter play where Pumphrey never touched the ball that he called his favorite of the night.

The 5-foot-9 Pumphrey was lined up to return a punt when the Desert Shields instead decided to try a fake. Darrion Hammond floated a perfect pass to Devin Tatum for what was a sure first down until Pumphrey came from deep downfield to lay a devastating hit and separate Tatum from the ball.

“That was the best play,” he said with a laugh. “I just heard coach yell, 'Watch the fake,’ and I just ran full speed and hit him. I felt super-excited once I got up because I actually flew in the air to hit him. It was a good feeling.”

Canyon Springs (2-0) coach Hunkie Cooper said he sees every day in practice how special Pumphrey is on the field.

“He is a football player,” Cooper said. “You have to have a certain attitude and a certain mental toughness, and you’ve got to be able to play on both sides of the football. This is not a one-dimensional game. If I put him at corner, he’d probably be one of the best corners in the state.

“That’s his job as the returner if they run a fake when we’re going after it. He has to come up and hit anybody that’s free. He put a blow on him. It was physical and aggressive.”

Of course, Pumphrey is far better known by what he can do as a runner.

Cheyenne (2-2) continuously kept the ball away from him on kickoffs and punts. Their focus on putting the ball anywhere but in Pumphrey’s hands even caused back-to-back offside penalties on a kickoff late in the third quarter. Pumphrey walked toward the Desert Shields’ sideline and implored anyone who would listen to kick him the ball.

Moments later, he fielded a bouncing ball, made one cut and was gone for a 67-yard score.

“I knew if they kicked me the ball, I was going to take it to the house because I saw there was a crease in the middle wide open every single time,” he said.

Pumphrey finished with 134 yards on just nine carries in the game, including a 33-yard touchdown run where he picked up a teammate’s fumble in the backfield, ran right and then looped all the way back to the left sideline and in for the score.

He also had a 35-yard run to open the scoring on the first play after the game resumed following a 20-minute delay in the first quarter because the lights went out.

Tatum scored the lone Cheyenne touchdown on a 7-yard run late in the third quarter to get the Desert Shields’ within 20-8, but Pumphrey ran back the ensuing kick to put the game away.

Joe Jackson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gerad Davis, and Bradley Alexander connected with Keveon Glenn on a 35-yard scoring pass on the Pioneers’ only two completions of the game.