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Flowing Wells kicked off its season with a 56-10 thumping of the Douglas Bulldogs, and six of those touchdowns were courtesy of the Caballeros’ quarterback-running back tandem of Benicio Ruiz and Jayden Simmons.

Simmons had 10 rushes for a career-high 171 yards and three touchdowns. Simmons, a senior two-way star at Flowing Wells, also had three tackles, two quarterback pressures and a pass deflection at linebacker.

“I feel like my performance was pretty solid,� Simmons said. “I feel like I could’ve done better in a couple of areas, especially on the defensive side. If I stayed physically well — because after those 10 carries, I did cramp up a little bit ... But it was definitely a great time racking up those yards. I feel like this win for us, a 56-10 win against a team that our coaches consider a pretty tough opening, it was definitely a tone-setter for our season.�

Flowing Wells now turns its attention to the Amphitheater Panthers Friday at 7 p.m., “so we’re getting prepared for that, trying to stay strong, trying to stay motivated and definitely looking forward to playing them guys,� Simmons said.

Simmons joined and talked about his productive performance, playing football at Flowing Wells and his football idol.

When you said you “could’ve done better in a couple areas,� what jumps out at you?

A: “My vision. I wasn’t taking all of the opportunities I could have whenever I got the ball. And definitely my defense. A lot of my tackles were pretty strong, pretty solid, but I really wish I put more pressure on the quarterback to help my defense out.�

What is your favorite football memory at Flowing Wells?

A: “I would definitely say our California trip. It’s the greatest part of our offseason. We work so hard and then we get a relaxing session and go to California with the guys, go to the beach. It’s really fun and it’s really amazing and I built a whole lot of great memories over there. We go to Costa Mesa over the summer at Vanguard University and stay in the dorms. We go to practice a couple of times a day and then we do special events, like go to the beach, go to the movies and stuff like that.�

How does a trip like that help team chemistry and camaraderie?

A: “It definitely rises. Our team morale completely increased and we became a lot more comfortable with each other, trusted each other a lot more and I feel like it was just a great experience for us overall.�

Would you rather have two long touchdown runs or two sacks?

A: “This is a hard one, but I gotta take a touchdown on this. There’s nothing that beats that feeling. Knowing you scored and it was a whole team effort — I feel like the sacks are selfish in a way. When I get those touchdowns, I can turn around and say, ‘Yeah, we did this!’ ... There’s nothing that beats it.�

Are you from Tucson, and how did your football journey take you to Flowing Wells?

A: “Born and raised here. Ever since I was 8 or 9 years old, I’ve been playing football. I started off with flag (football) and gradually built up to other teams, other leagues, playing football. Believe it or not, before the eighth grade, I was always a lineman. I was always an offensive lineman, defensive lineman. I started as a defensive edge, moved to linebacker and then I got bigger, so I moved to offensive line, defensive line.

“In the eighth grade is when I started my running back career because my coach at the time said, ‘No, you’re going to be in the backfield.’ I’m like, ‘Sure, why not?’ I performed pretty well there and progressively moved up. I started developing, I started practicing it and trying my hardest. It eventually fell into place and helped me become who I am today.�

Do you have any aspirations of playing football in college?

A: “Moving forward, I hope to achieve a couple of offers — not even a couple of offers, <&rdpEm>an </&rdpEm>offer — to try and play college ball. I want to put the skills that I’ve learned and put them to use on a bigger stage. I also just want to finish schooling, go to college, become a nurse and get my money the natural way. But if I can, I would like to play football at the next level.�

Who is a running back you emulate?

A: “I can’t say Saquon (Barkley). I’ll say (Detroit Lions running back) Jahmyr Gibbs. His play style, it looks so much fun. That speed and power mixture is something I like seeing. It’s explosive and that’s what I want to be as a running back.�

What do you remember about your 145-yard, three-touchdown performance against Amphi last season?

A: “It was definitely something. There was a little bit of pressure because there was a local YouTuber who covers a lot of games there, so it had my heart racing. I didn’t want to look crazy. That was also my get-back for my sophomore year because that was a pretty miserable experience. Losing there, with those senior guys there, I had a chip on my shoulder going into that game.�

How is that dynamic with you and Ruiz?

A: “As far as leading the offense, it’s definitely more Ben. That guy’s speed, his intelligence, his reads, he’s a different level of player that I look up to sometimes. Us leading, it’s that two-man pitch. He’s a great player and it’s hard to explain it. ... I enjoy having him in the backfield with me and it’s definitely a lot easier than it has been in the past.�