Cheyenne returns nine starters of defense

By Jesse Granger

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015 | 4 p.m.

The Cheyenne Desert Shields football team had five games decided by one touchdown or less in 2014.

None were closer than a 21-20 victory against Mojave when quarterback A.J. McConnico found Ashton Lawson for a 52-yard touchdown in the final minute for a dramatic victory.

McConnico (6 foot 5, 195 pounds) is back for his senior season this fall and ready to lead the Desert Shields to their first winning record since 2012. Despite the record, they have made four straight playoff appearances.

After battling through so many close games and finishing 4-6 last year, Cheyenne is convinced that hitting the weights hard in the offseason is the key to breaking through in the tight Sunset Division.

“So far we are encouraged,” defensive backs coach Gerald Robinson said. “The guys have been hitting weights really hard. We have an extensive conditioning program.”

Senior linebacker George Carmona (6 foot, 215 pounds) says the players have taken the offseason bulk-up so seriously, that many are working out on their own outside of Cheyenne to prep for the season.

Carmona, a three-year varsity player, leads a defense that will have nine returning starters from last season. The unit allowed 20.1 points per game last season, but Robinson says they will be much improved.

Much of that will depend on the offense’s ability to hold onto the ball. Despite rarely throwing the ball, the Desert Shields threw nine interceptions in 2014.

“The key is ourselves,” Robinson said. “If we reduce our mistakes we will have a lot of success throughout the year. The coaching staff is very confident, and we are just ready to go.”

And the team plans on doing that by sticking to what Cheyenne has done for years — the ball.

“We are going to keep to what we know best, which is run-heavy, and just improve on last year,” said Lawson, a senior wide receiver and defensive back.

Last year’s leading rusher, senior David Walker (5-foot-9, 205 pounds) will look to improve upon his junior year. Walker carried the ball 134 times for 654 rushing yards, but will be running behind a new offensive line. He'll share carries with Zavieh Harrell, another experienced player.

Robinson says that one of the team’s biggest weaknesses to overcome will be its youth along the offensive line, but with plenty of senior leadership to go around it could be an easier transition.

“We all got brought up as sophomores and now it’s our senior season,” Carmona said. “The coaches have let the reigns go so we can do what we do.”

Cheyenne will be tested right away as it open the season at home Thursday against Cimarron-Memorial, who beat the Desert Shields 21-14 in last season’s opener.

As one of the senior leaders on offense, Lawson wants to restore Cheyenne to the power it once was before leaving.

“It’s always been a sense of pride for me,” Lawson said. “Once you get the feel of the Cheyenne atmosphere, you feel at home. I love everything about Cheyenne.”