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Sinagua seniors get a second chance

By RORY FAUST
Sun Sports Staff
Friday, October 16, 2009

The harsh reality of the looming financial crunch associated with college prompted Brandon Leffler to shelve his football cleats and take up a full-time job last year.

But while work allowed him to save up for his future, Leffler couldn't help but think about the present when his senior year at Sinagua High School rolled around two months ago. "In junior year I was thinking of playing football, but I was realizing the burden of college and how much it costs, so I decided to work full-time and save up," Leffler said. "But this year, (I thought) it will probably be my last year to ever play football again ... my last year to enjoy it with my friends.

"I can work the rest of my life," he added. "I wanted to enjoy this year."

Leffler's story is not uncommon among his teammates. The chiseled 5-foot-10, 210-pound fullback/linebacker is one of four Sinagua seniors who decided to give football another try after taking some time away from the sport.

Two-way lineman Stuart Schenkel, leading rusher Stephan Timberlake and tight end/linebacker Austin Bryce have similar stories. All missed their junior season for one reason or another, and all figured their senior year in high school would be incomplete if they didn't spend their fall under the lights on Friday nights.

"I think guys just don't want to regret not coming out their senior year because it's usually the best time to play," said Schenkel, who spent last fall at Oak Creek Ranch School, a boarding school near Sedona. "You're at your strongest (as a senior) and you're at the same level as everyone else. I think that's it -- no regrets."

Leffler played freshman football and dressed for a couple varsity games as a ninth-grader. He opted to concentrate on baseball as a sophomore -- he's a three-year letterman at catcher -- and decided not to play football.

Two summers ago Leffler began working five days a week as a cart boy at Continental Country Club in order to save up for college. Leffler's friends on the football team -- Bryce, Mateo Trujillo, Hayden Renning and Jacob Gray -- tried to get him to play for the past two seasons, but Leffler held his ground. Until August.

"Those guys influenced me and were excited for me to come out again, they kind of pushed me toward it," said Leffler, who leads the team with 52 carries and is third in tackles. "Every single year they were trying to get me out and then I finally gave in, and I'm enjoying it a lot this year."

Leffler approached the Mustangs coaching staff two weeks into preseason and asked if he could try to earn a spot on the team. First-year coach Dave Dirksen didn't have to think twice about the answer.

Dirksen welcomed Leffler -- and the other senior newcomers -- with open arms. The players have rewarded their new coach handsomely on the football field.

Bryce, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, turned in an outstanding performance in his first game back, catching two passes for 21 yards and notching two sacks and a forced fumble in a season-opening loss to Florence. Bryce reinjured his knee, however, and hasn't played since.

Leffler and Timberlake combined to rush for nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 42-26 loss to city rival Flagstaff High. They did so running behind the blocking of Schenkel, the starting left tackle.

"You can tell by being on the sideline Friday night just how important to us they are right now," Dirksen said. "I think these guys help validate that it's a good experience and they are having success. God only knows how much success they'd have if they didn't have a break in the action. They had great games on Friday night. What would happen if they'd been in the program all the way through?"

Dirksen hopes their success this season will encourage other students with football roots to give the sport another try.

"We do believe that there are other guys in the school building who have played in the program at some time in the past, and for various reasons ... have decided not to play football any longer," the coach said.

"We think that these guys are finding it to be a good experience. Sinagua football is a good experience, so they're hanging with it, even though they're 0-6."

Schenkel is living his mantra: no regrets. Despite the Mustangs' winless record, the lineman said he hasn't questioned his decision to come back out for the team his senior year.

"I'm having a blast. Even though we're not winning, I'm having a ball out here," he said. "And I really like the new coaches, I think they're going to do really good things for the football team in the future."

Rory Faust can be reached at rfaust@azdailysun.com or 556- 2257.

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