Running back Kegan Lindsay and quarterback Mike Mindnich of Wickenburg dominated the Coronado Dons on their way to a 62-12 victory in Scottsdale late Friday night.

Lindsay gained 175 yards on 26 carries as the Wranglers improved to 4-1. The Coronado defense struggled to keep Lindsay out of the end zone as he scored four times.

The Wranglers also succeeded in moving the ball through the air against Coronado’s defense. Mindnich completed 13 of his 21 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown.

“That was our first full game we played,” said Wickenburg Head Coach Mike Mitchell. “We’ve kind of been spotty, even when we scored big, but I thought we played pretty solid tonight.”

On the other side, the game came as a disappointment as Coronado is now 0-5 halfway through the season.

A heartbreaking sequence in the second quarter put the game out of reach. Wickenburg, fresh off of scoring a touchdown to go up 21-6, was set to kick off. The Wranglers went with a squib kick, which bounced off of a Dons player and was recovered by Wickenburg. Five plays later, the score was 28-6.

The Coronado offensive line, despite not allowing a sack, struggled to protect the quarterback against the tenacious Wickenburg defensive line as Mikel James or Juan Booth were both often chased from the pocket.

Booth replaced James at quarterback in the third quarter after James had to move to running back due to an injury.

 “We have to work on our passing game,” Coronado Head Coach Curt LeBlanc said. “We’re still holding on to the ball too long and we just can’t protect that long."

On the brighter side, the first play of the game for the Dons resulted in an 80-yard touchdown run by James, who finished with 114 yards on the ground.

Booth also accounted for a touchdown at quarterback. A pass he lobbed over the cornerback fell into the hands of Daijon Safford and resulted in a 54-yard touchdown. 

The first half ended with James, buried underneath a defensive lineman, getting a throw off that was intercepted and taken back for a long touchdown. That made the score 40-6 at the break.

Despite all the defensive prowess from Wickenburg, it was still Lindsay that stood out.

“He was a hard runner,” said Dons linebacker Angel Moreno. “He was a big boy and he didn’t stop after the first contact.”

Wickenburg will look to continue its hot streak next Friday at Northwest Christian and  Coronado will open up region play  at home against Arizona College Prep.