Jack Brooks is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Campo Verde for AZPreps365.com

Campo Verde flag football junior quarterback Amaya Moreno started Tuesday night off hot with a deep ball down the left hash marks to sophomore wide receiver Oakley Dobratz-Blevins. As the crowd stood and cheered during the connection, Dobratz-Blevins beat her corner and safety to take the ball to the crib, opening the game with an 86-yard touchdown.

If one play could represent the outcome of this competition, it would be the opener, as the Campo Verde Coyotes (7-1, 4-0 5A San Tan) earned a 52-0 shutout win at home against the Higley Knights (3-1, 0-0 6A Fiesta). The win marked the Coyotes’ fifth shutout, which is especially important considering the opponent.

Moreno said Oakley makes her job easy. 

“My team is amazing, and I’m just blessed to have such great receivers," Moreno said. "When I see that mismatch, I’m taking it all day, and 100 percent of the time it’s a mismatch.”

That opening reception helped build momentum for the rest of the game for the Coyotes, which is a part of Campo Verde’s team identity.

“[It’s] so exciting just to get the game started with a lot of energy because that’s what our team’s all about,” Dobratz-Blevins said.

To start the season, Campo Verde lost in a 6A matchup versus the Highland Hawks, since then earning a plus-252 score differential. Tuesday was the first 6A opponent Campo Verde has faced since, proving the Coyotes can be competitive at any level of Arizona flag football.

“It’s great,” Moreno said. “Just going out there and capitalizing on different teams in 6A, 5A, whatever it is.”

Moreno stole the show under the lights, throwing for 299 yards, rushing for 39, recording seven touchdowns and going 12-15 on passing attempts. Within the first three minutes alone, she had already earned over 100 passing yards.

“I’m just so grateful to have this receiver core,” Moreno said. “I feel like any quarterback in Arizona would be blessed to have it… I owe it all to my receivers for sure.”

One of those receivers, Dobratz-Blevins, had her share of the spotlight Tuesday, racking up 133 receiving yards with three touchdowns on four targets. That opening 86-yard play showcased the chemistry Dobratz-Blevins has with her quarterback.

“[Moreno and I] have been working really hard in practice,” Dobratz-Blevins said. “We have amazing chemistry.”

The defense deserves just as much credit for the win as well. After giving up 21 points against their last 6A opponent, the Coyotes shut it down on their home turf using the full depth of their defense.

“I loved [the defense],” said senior rusher Payton Davis. “I was glad that we got all of our second and third strings out there. I was glad that our first strings, and some of the second strings, went out there and balled out.”

Davis earned six sacks on the night while also recording one tackle, helping the secondary and safeties by not giving the Knights too much time to set plays.

“I just became energetic, and I saw that the quarterback was just very scrambly,” Davis said. “I was shifty [with the blockers], so I was proud of that, and I just thought it was a fun time.”

The win improved Campo Verde to seven in a row, gaining ground on its best win streak last season (five). With its fifth region game on Thursday against the Mountain Pointe Pride and the MPS Flag Football Tournament at Skyline High School on the horizon, Campo Verde hopes to prove it should compete in an open division, a level already popular in California high schools.

“Everyone’s been asking…are we going to get an open division for girl’s flag?” Moreno said. “I feel like games like these really prove we should have an open-division and that we could go out there and ball… We’ve been out here dominating teams… Let’s get an open-division.”