Anthony Armas has been first playing and then coaching football for 32 years. He’s witnessed some amazing performances, including leading Denair to a state title in 2018. And yet the Coyotes accomplished something in Friday’s 54-35 victory over Bret Harte that Armas had never seen before – they had four players each run for at least 100 yards.
“I was pretty excited. It was pretty cool,” said Armas.
Junior Alex Vargas led the way for Denair (1-2) with 176 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries. He also picked up another TD on a pass from Derek Potter.
“He’s a pretty quick kid. I like the way he was running the ball,” said Armas of Vargas.
Not to be outdone, junior Degan Butler ran for 174 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Jesse Ruelas (eight carries, 115 yards) and Jayden Hensley (six carries, 104 yds, one TD) completed Denair’s amazing performance on the ground.
“We have a lot of faith in all of our running backs,” said Armas, whose team raced to a 27-6 lead at halftime.
The only time the Coyotes were stopped was when time ran out in the first half and when they lost a fumble in the second half. Other than that, they scored on every possession.
“I think we had one run stopped at the line of scrimmage,” Armas said. “Other than that, everything was five yards or more. There were a lot of long runs. It was a fun game to call plays for.”
As a former offensive lineman, Armas took special satisfaction in Denair’s amazing feat. As good as his running backs are, they don’t gain those yards without the guys in front of them opening holes.
Against Bret Harte, Denair’s offensive line of left tackle Brody McFarland, left guard Luis Esquivel, center Darrien Schell, right guard Even Coronel, right tackle Eduardo Zacharias and tight end Ernesto Silva
consistently dominated.
“They’ve been doing a good job. We haven’t made a whole lot of mistakes, even in the game we got shut out, we’ve been dialed in to what we’re doing,” Armas praised. “The kids have been finishing blocks and putting people on the ground.”
Denair returns home this Friday to host Pajaro Valley (1-1) of Watsonville in the final preseason game before Southern League play begins. Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium.
