By Don Ketchum

The 2010 football season has been rewarding thus far for Laveen Betty H. Fairfax coach Kevin Belcher and his team.

The Stampede lost their first two games before rallying for five straight victories and putting themselves in contention for the top spot in the Class 5A Metro Region.

If Fairfax is to fully experience success, it will need to defeat Phoenix Carl Hayden, Phoenix Central and Phoenix Camelback in its final three games (it has a bye on Friday, Oct. 15).

“I thought we played fairly well at the beginning despite the losses,’’ Belcher said. “We took (Goodyear) Millennium to overtime and were in it for the first half against (Phoenix) North Canyon. We have regrouped pretty well.’’

The team endured a few early injuries and some of its younger players gained experience and that helped the situation.

What didn’t help the situation was the injury to the team’s most noteworthy player, 6-foot-3, 238-pound Reggie Gilbert, a senior defensive end who has committed to the University of Arizona. Gilbert broke his foot in the first game against Millennium.

Anthony Arledge, a 6-3, 200-pound junior, has stepped in and done a good job in Gilbert’s spot, according to Belcher.

Injuries to the running backs also forced Belcher to shuttle other players in an out, but everything appears to be near normal now.

Junior Kurtis Walls has developed a steady hand at quarterback. He started the final five games of 2009 as a sophomore, and is continuing to gain maturity. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Walls has thrown for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“He is managing the offense well,’’ Belcher said.

The defensive “quarterback’’ is middle linebacker Jose Zuniga, a 5-foot-11, 228-pound senior.

“Everything goes through him. He makes his presence felt on and off the field,’’ Belcher said.

The players also have made academic progress, which is one less headache for Belcher. He was busy finding out which players to recognize when Fairfax plays Phoenix Central in a TV game on Oct. 28 (Thursday).

Central is the defending Metro champion and just happens to be Belcher’s former school. Central is 4-3 overall and 4-1 in region entering this week’s play.

“The game against Central will be a big one for us,’’ Belcher said.

The Stampede are confident but can’t afford to relax.

“We have done well playing within the team concept,’’ Belcher said. “We practice hard, we enjoy practice. We play the game hard, we enjoy playing the game. We have no superstars, just a bunch of hard-working, blue-collar kids.’’