Pumphrey runs wild as Pioneers open with blowout over Foothill
Canyon Springs senior Donnel Pumphrey ran outside, he ran inside, he zigged, he zagged and he juked defenders.
And that was all on one 70-yard touchdown run.
And that run epitomized the kind of night Pumphrey had, as he carried the ball 10 times for 347 yards and five touchdowns in leading the sixth-ranked Pioneers to a 47-6 home victory over No. 7 Foothill in the season opener for both clubs.
“I was just running downhill,” Pumphrey said. “The coaches just said keep running hard, and the holes were opening up and I was hitting the holes.”
Pumphrey’s first two carries went for only 6 yards, but then the senior speedster put on a show. He scored on five of his next eight carries.
His first touchdown came on a 41-yard run where he blew through the left side of the line and went untouched to put the Pioneers up, 7-0.
He added TD runs of 72, 70 and 57 yards in the first half as the Pioneers took a 34-6 lead at the break.
“The coaches before the game, they just got in my head,” Pumphrey said. “I don’t know, I just had a good line and they really opened up holes today.”
Pumphrey’s night finished on a 91-yard touchdown run with 2:34 to go in the third quarter.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Pumphrey said when asked what he sees on the long runs. “I just see green and I run for the touchdown.”
Canyon Springs coach Hunkie Cooper said he met with an emotional Pumphrey, who has committed to San Diego State, before the game.
“He came to me about 5 o’clock and was sitting in the equipment room and just started crying,” Cooper said. “He realized that this is his senior year and this is it. You don’t get do overs.”
Cooper and Pumphrey were both quick to credit the offensive line of Fabian Leos Baca, Wayne Fata, Dream Stone, Abaham Ballesteros and Brandon Famous. The unit averages 276 pounds.
“When you’ve got a guy rushing for 350 yard, somebody’s blocking,” Cooper said. “I tell my linemen all the time, it’s not about D.J. I saw D.J. point before he got in the end zone. I told him if he does it again, I’ll have his ass next to me. He don’t do it by himself.”
Along with the dominating offensive performance, Canyon Springs held a potentially explosive Foothill offense in check.
The Falcons, who averaged 32.6 points last season, had no running game to speak of and were forced to settle for a series of short passes throughout the night.
Quarterback Drew Doxtator passed for 253 yards and a touchdown, but completed just 23 of 44 attempts and was intercepted twice.
Canyon Springs held Foothill to 19 rushing yards through three quarters before the Pioneers brought in their second unit.
Reserve quarterback Jalen Shepard turned out to be Foothill’s most effective runner, finishing with 41 yards on six carries, all in the final quarter.
About the only thing the Pioneers didn’t dominate was time of possession, and that was because
Canyon Springs’ six offensive scoring drives totaled 11 plays. Foothill ran 80 offensive plays compared to 47 for the Pioneers.
And even though Pumphrey had just 11 touches, Cooper said he still wants to spread the ball around even more.
“We’ve still got a lot of kids that we’ve got to get the ball to,” Cooper said. “We’ve still got a lot of kids that we want to get touches.
And though he’d like to run the ball more, that’s fine with Pumphrey.
“I want the ball more, but I feel I’ve got to share the ball with others,” Pumphrey said. “I don’t want to be selfish.”
