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

The Campo Verde Coyotes made a statement October 17 in front of their home crowd behind a shutdown defense and an explosive ground game. The Coyotes rolled past Skyline 48-8, snapping a two-game skid and re-establishing their identity as one of the more complete programs in the East Valley. 

The Coyotes forced four turnovers and ran the ball with authority throughout the night. Junior quarterback Jonah Lubno led the way offensively with two rushing scores, while sophomore running back Marek Bradley added a highlight 46-yard touchdown run in the second half. 

Campo Verde’s defense set the tone early. Junior linebacker Scott Aholelei struck first, jumping a route and trying for an interception for a touchdown to ignite the Campo Verde faithful. Moments later, senior safety Wyatt Rauch followed with a pick-six of his own that put the Coyotes up 35-0 going into halftime. 

“We knew from the film they were going to try and hit that tight end pop,” Rauch said. “We called it out, I was in the right position and just made the play. It feels good to get back on track and get a win.” 

Campo Verde’s defensive unit looked every bit like the physical, aggressive group that assistant coach Bryce Duffy was preaching since the start of the season. Skyline struggled to find any rhythm, with Coyotes defenders collapsing the pocket, swarming to the ball, and creating chaos in the secondary.  

“In practice, we’re always striving to be physical on the field, especially on our defense,” Aholelei said. “Our coaches have done such a great job making us do that. We just came up with a huge win that we really needed to get our gears going again.” 

Lubno’s pair of touchdowns capped off long, sustained drives for the Campo Verde offense. His ability to escape the pocket and go from a passer to a runner led to Campo Verde controlling tempo while setting up explosive plays downfield. 

Bradley’s 46-yard rushing score midway through the third quarter was the exclamation point, breaking several tackles before sprinting down the sideline as the home crowd erupted. 

Duffy said he was proud of how his players responded to the challenge, especially given the distractions that can come with homecoming week. 

“Homecoming tonight, we had an awesome crowd,” Duffy said. “The best part about next week is we get to play at home again. If we keep practicing hard, watching film, and doing what we’re doing, I’m looking forward to next week.”

The Coyotes went on to fall to American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North before ending the regular season with a win over Arizona College Prep. The No. 11 Coyotes beat No. 22 Verrado in the opening round of the AIA 5A State Championship, then lost to eventual state runner up Canyon View on November 14.

The Coyotes finished their season 7-5.