James Copeland is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Betty H. Fairfax High School for AZPrep365.

It was another night for Betty H. Fairfax High School in which both sides of the ball struggled to get anything going. The offense was struggling to run and pass the ball consistently, while the tackling and miscues that have plagued the defense continued.

This combination helped North High School easily take care of Fairfax, with a score of 54-14 in 5A Metro region play on Friday night.

The Stampede struggled from what was just the second play of the game in which North took advantage of blown coverage on a flat route that ended up being a big 80-yard touchdown reception for AT Desamais of the Mustangs.

This was only the beginning of what would be a huge half for North, in which they would end up going into halftime up a whopping 40-7, the lone touchdown from the Stampede coming at the end of the first half on a rushing touchdown by quarterback Rayshjon Rayford.

Fairfax coach Keith Mannie emphasized that a big part of the team coming up short in the game was the inability to retain possession of the ball. This included two interceptions, a muffed punt, and a failure to pick up the ball on a kickoff early in the game, all giving the Mustangs easy opportunities to score.

“We gotta protect the ball," he said. "Too many turnovers and you can not win a game when you turn the ball over that much."

An arguably bigger reason why the Stampede were down so early in the first half was the big amount of missed and broken tackles.

These broken tackles allowed the quick receivers of North, such as Desamais, to turn what would be only 10-yard gains into 80-yard touchdowns. Another problem was the inability to get the ball back to the offense, who had minimal possessions in the first half.

Defensive Coordinator Martwon Weaver spoke on the defenses struggles, including what they will continue to tell the guys coming into the following week and how they plan to get better.

“I thought we did good," he said. "The offense needs to help out in getting some stops. It felt like as soon as we got a stop, we were running right back on the field.”

 While the first half certainly did not go the way of Fairfax, there certainly were some positive things that happened in the second half.

With the running clock in effect, the Stampede were only outscored 14-7 and made some big plays on offense. Quarterback Rayshjon Raiford made a lot better throws and the offensive line was able to block more consistently, opening up more holes for the running backs to run through.

The lone touchdown in the second half came courtesy of the Stampede’s lead receiver Vincent Quadrozzi, who made a 13-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter. 

Quadrozzi he had this to say of the play and what he thinks the team needs to improve on  the rest of the season. 

“We had a big run play that set the offense on fire and pumped me up," he said. "I got hit and hurt my arm, but I saw that coach made that call and I knew we needed the play. I definitely think we need to want it more as a team. Some of us wanted it more than others."

Going into next week's game it seems the Stampede are going to be preaching selfishness and playing more as a team instead of individually.

“We just need to play as a team. You know, not worrying about yourself and doing your job not just for yourself, but your teammates as well,” Mannie said.

The Stampede fell 0-6 as they will prepare for another away game against the 1-5 South Mountain Jaguars. As for North, the Mustanges improve to 2-4 and will have another home game against Camelback, who is also 2-4.