Arizona high school playoffs: First-round nail-biters and blowouts

Arcadia stays unbeaten, advances past Coconino

By Howard Schlossberg

For most of the game, Coconino outplayed host Arcadia in their 4A playoff opener Thursday night.

"Needed another minute and a half," said a near distraught Gary Cook, the Panthers head coach.

Arcadia took advantage of that time, maintained its unbeaten record (11-0) and scored a dramatic 23-20 win in a game both head coaches were sorry to see someone lose.

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Key plays

After Coconino rode running back Bridger French's legs all the way to Jose Miguel Villanueva's 44-yard field goal and a 20-16 lead with 3:24 left, it was do or die time for Arcadia.

And the Titans responded. Braylen Rooney's 10-yard toss to Carter Pruitt and subsequent clutch 30-yard fade to workhorse Brady Forst, put Arcadia in business at the Coconino 4-yard line. Forst then got the last of his 127 yards for the night and the go-ahead score with 1:16 left.

John Coulter's pick with 0:32 left sealed it, as he stepped in front of clutch receiver Noble Young-Blackgoat on a play that had clicked for Coconino otherwise all night.

The game had been a slugfest to that point, as French keyed or ran the Panther offense from tailback or the wildcat. His running kept the potent Arcadia offense off the field. He scored one TD on a short run and set up the other as well as both Villanueva field goals with his wildcat prowess.

But Forst refused to let Arcadia lose. He tallied all three of their touchdowns and had three key receptions as well.

Key players

French and Forst dueled back and forth, carrying their respective teams' offenses and hopes.

Forst finished with 127 rushing and 55 receiving, none bigger than the 30 on the perfectly tossed fade in the 4th.

Coulter had two picks that otherwise kept Coconino from possibly blowing the game open or rallying for the win.

Rooney finished with 99 yards passing on 9 of 13, but no picks. Coconino's Colton Buckingham was 8 of 17 for 141, as the Panthers relied on their potent ground game.

Arcadia's Kahary Beler, Owen Bowers and Pablo Javalera came up with big tackles to keep French from breaking the game open.

Key quotes

Head coach Ray Brown of unbeaten Arcadia just smiles at his good fortune to be coaching such a good team.

"I like our football team," he proclaimed after the game. "We're just getting better. We're just a neighborhood football team that finally won one."

Over a team they'd beaten by three scores last time they met.

"They're a good team," he said of the Panthers, who finished 7-4.

And French a great player, said Cook, who called him one of the best he's ever had in all his years.

"We took them to the last minute," he sobbed.

"Needed another minute and a half."

Up next

Arcadia entertains Thunderbird, who got by Bradshaw Mountain Thursday night, 17-16.

Notre Dame dominates Sunnyslope in 5A

By Dylan Ackermann

Four-star junior wide receiver Cooper Perry made it a priority to gain yards after contact, influencing the team's overall mentality in this game. He scored a touchdown receiving and two rushing.

In the first round of the 5A state championship, No. 7 Notre Dame Prep and No. 10 Sunnyslope faced off in a rematch from the regular season and it ended with the same result as the Saints dominated the Vikings, 35-20, on their home turf . Like earlier in the season, Sunnyslope had no answers for  the Saints' dynamic offense Thursday.

Running back Jameson Bush helped kickstart just about every Saints’ drive with big gains, and he scored on a 1-yard run.

Gavin Mitchell, Sunnyslope's middle linebacker and team leader in tackles, was one of the Vikings’ consistent bright spots, wrapping up the day with an interception, a rushing touchdown, and numerous crucial tackles.

Key Plays

The opening quarter commenced with two prolonged offensive marches, culminating in short-yardage touchdowns by both teams within the 5-yard line.

Following a swift 52-yard run along the sideline by Bush in the early moments of the second quarter, Perry took a handoff on the ensuing play, strolling into the end zone untouched for a Notre Dame score.

On the Saints very next possession, quarterback Noah Trigueros threaded the needle and delivered a pinpoint 60-yard touchdown up the sideline, finding Perry in space once again.

Halfway through the third quarter, Vikings' junior running back Aleck Vargas found a hole, which led to a 36-yard rush, eventually positioning them within the one yard line. Yet, controversy arose as a fumble was called on Luke Moga's quarterback sneak, a play that might have narrowed the gap to seven points.

Later in this quarter, a 50-yard reception by Perry sets the stage for Jameson Bush's one-yard rushing touchdown, ultimately sealing the deal.

Quote of the Game

“We are now 1-0 in what we consider our third season, so we are excited to get things going,” Perry said. “But Desert Edge is a great team. We just have to keep our head down and get to work. We just got to shock the world.”

Perry added, “it’s awesome being surrounded by such great kids and so many underrated players on our team, it makes my job so much easier. I’m fortunate to get a lot of love, but not enough love gets show to our offense and defense.”

Up Next

Next Friday at 7 pm, Notre Dame Prep will hit the road, facing off against No. 2 Desert Edge in the Quarterfinals of the 5A state playoffs. The Scorpions defeated Buena to advance.

Perry downs Mountain Pointe; faces Saguaro next

By Eliya Herriott

No. 6 seed Perry hosted No.11 Mountain Pointe in a 6A playoff game that proved one of the closer games of the night, but in the end it was the Pumas that moved on to the quarterfinals for the first time in five years, downing the Pride 30-27..

Perry will travel to Scottsdale on Nov. 17 to face Saguaro, after the No. 3 Sabercats routed No. 14 Queen Creek, 59-13 Thursday.

In the first half, the Pride used its speed on the outside to make some big plays. Chase Shumate had a couple of tremendous catches to set up good field position. Shumate also had a touchdown reception from quarterback, Robert Knorr as well. Running back Christian Clark took a direct snap and found JJ Jones for a touchdown. Clark also added a rushing touchdown.

Mountain Pointe led at the end of the first half, 21-14 and looked in control.

Perry had other plans coming out of the locker room. The Pumas held Mountain Pointe scoreless in the third quarter, which allowed the offense to find some cohesion.

Playmaker of the Game

Perry’s Kolton Coleman had two touchdowns. Coleman’s first touchdown came in the second quarter on a pass from Diesel Taylor. The second was a six-yard rushing touchdown that tied the game, 21-21. The Pumas did not look back after that and led for the remainder of the game.

Play of the Game

When the score was 30-27, Mountain Pointe had one more opportunity left to tie the game or take the lead. Perry’s Nate Lauritzen intercepted the ball with just over a minute left in the game and sealed the victory for the Pumas. Perry was able to run the clock down and celebrate moving onto the quarterfinals.

Quotes of the Game:

Perry head coach Joseph Ortiz on what changed in the third quarter:

“They had a lot of different offensive schemes that we didn’t see in a while,” Ortiz said. “They got us. They exalted their book, and they went back to what we thought they were going to do and we were able to shut them down, but they were well coached and had a good game plan on both sides of the ball.”

Ortiz added:  “At the end of the day we have to enjoy this tonight because this is the first Perry playoff win in five years,” Ortiz said. “So, we are going to enjoy tonight and then we are going to work our tails off we got Saguaro I have experience with them in the Open and some semifinal games and playoffs. So, this game is going to mean a lot to try and get that win over them.”

Apollo rolls behind Mohammed's 5 TDs

By Alex Chenevey

In a big 5A first-round matchup, it was No. 5 Glendale Apollo coming up with the decisive victory at home, beating No. 12 Casa Grande 56-21.

The Cougars had no answer for Apollo senior running back and Arizona commit Adam Mohammed, who ran for five touchdowns and set the tone for how the game would go. Mohammed, who came into the game leading the state in rushing touchdowns with 31 would add on to that and now has 36 with the potential to get to 40 rushing touchdowns this season depending on how Apollo does in the rest of the 5A playoffs.

Key plays

On the very first play of the game, Hawks senior cornerback/wide receiver Trey Smith got the ball and ran up the middle and with some slick cutbacks would find the end zone to put Apollo up early 7-0.

After a 69 yard pass from Cougars senior quarterback Eltorna Grant to senior wide receiver Nathan Long, Grant would find senior wide receiver Kendale Cade on 4th and one for a five yard touchdown grab to tie the game 7-7 less than three minutes into the matchup.

Mohammed would start to get going, as he punched in a 32 yard touchdown to give the Hawks the lead 14-7, and then followed that up three more rushing touchdowns in the first half all from the red zone to give Apollo a commanding 35-7 lead, two of them set up by junior defensive end/outside linebacker Maison Cole and his two forced turnovers.

Apollo threw for a touchdown as well, as junior quarterback Sylus Stevenson would find junior tight end Joseph Sumpter wide open up the seam for a 50 yard catch and run touchdown to have the Hawks up 42-7 entering halftime.

After forcing a three and out from Casa Grande, Apollo scored on their opening drive of the second half with a 26 yard rushing touchdown from Mohammed to give him his fifth rushing touchdown of the game and propel the Hawks to a 42 point lead.

Key players

Mohammed was sensational, as he kept churning out consistent yardage time and time again. He was unstoppable in the red zone, scoring four of his five rushing touchdowns from there. Mohammed attributed his success to his offensive line.

“It’s really my o-line,” said Mohammed. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do anything, so I love them to death.”

Casa Grande had some good performances on the offensive side of the ball. Gant made some big time throws in the pocket and on the run, throwing three touchdowns Despite struggling defensively, the Cougars did manage a fumble recovery in the first quarter from senior linebacker/strong safety Noah Salas.

Quote of the game

“We’ve been pushing for a long time to try and get this thing going in the right direction,” said Apollo head coach Aaron Walls. “With some of the players we have, the stars and the line have given us a chance and we’re trying to make the best out of that opportunity.”

Up next

apollo will be playing No. 13 Gilbert Campo Verde after their upset win over No. 4 Cactus on Nov. 17

Thunderbird holds on to top Bradshaw Mountain

By Ben Yates

The No. 5 seeded Thunderbird Titans defended home field tonight in a defensive battle against No. 12 seed Bradshaw Mountain Bears, a narrow 17-16 win that wasn't decided until the final minutes.

The first minute of the game started out strong for the Titans; senior halfback Tyler Woods ran for 75 yards to get the first points on the board, starting Thunderbird off strong with an early touchdown.

The Bears would finally answer about eight minutes later with a field goal and go into the second quarter down by just four.

That's how that half would end, a 7-3 Titans lead. No one moved past the Titans' 45-yard line, staying on the left side of the field for the whole quarter due to defensive plays and offenses deciding to keep playing on 4th down.

Defense would continue to heat up on both sides, as interceptions and fumble recoveries became some of the key plays of the night’s match. Woods played on both sides of the ball, and with help from senior wide receiver Brian Costa, the Titans would keep the Bears in a helpless position, forcing a safety to put the Titans up another two points in the middle of the third quarter, 9-3.

Eventually, the Titans would snap the scoring one and a half quarters drought on both ends with a rushing touchdown for Woods, followed by a two-point conversion catch in the endzone by Costa.

Slowly but surely, the Bears climbed back into the game, getting themselves a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. On defense, senior linebacker James Giggey blocked a Titans field goal attempt and returned the ball to the Thunderbird's 35.

This effort did not result in any scoring, but six minutes later senior quarterback Bruce Normandin rushed for a touchdown to bring the Bears within just one point with 2:37 left on the clock.

After the touchdown play, the Bears decided to go for the two-point conversion, to potentially go up by one point late in the fourth quarter. However, this effort would be unsuccessful. And the Titans would run down to the 50-yard line to get more security on their lead.

Possession changed four times within 30 seconds.

After the two-point conversion failed, the Titans went down the field and lost it to a Bears interception. The Bears ran it through the Titans' defense, and Woods seemingly gets a fumble recovery for the Titans with 2:20 remaining.

However, the officials gave the ball back to the Bears due to a ruling on what direction the pass was headed. The Titans played great defense and got the ball back on the 45-yard line in Bears territory with a little over two minutes still left in the game.

Titans would hold the ball, and let the clock wind down.

Key quotes

“Offensively, we were getting flagged a lot. And defensively we just weren’t making enough plays. We aren’t being physical enough, but our defense knows that we can play and so we came out here with energy we always have and we just kept fighting and we got the dub.” - Titans senior halfback Tyler Woods

“Tyler is one of those guys that kind of makes up the heart and soul of our team. Gives you everything he has on every single play. And tonight he really shined for us on both sides of the ball.” - Titans head coach Matt Nalette

“It seems like we’ve been a second-half team all year, especially on offense. We looked and saw what they were doing, and we didn’t make a whole lot of adjustments, we just blocked a little bit better.” - Bears head coach Bob Young

Up next

Thunderbird Titans will move on to face another team of Titans next Friday, No. 4 seed Arcadia High School.

Williams Field ends Boulder Creek win streak

By Theo Mackie

Anthem Boulder Creek had every sign of momentum a team could ask for, entering the 6A playoffs with five straight wins. Gilbert Williams Field had none of those signs. They had lost four straight, unable to get over the hump against some of the state’s best teams.

On Thursday night, all of that momentum dissipated. In a 35-6 first-round win, No. 7-seed Williams Field dominated from the opening kickoff and didn’t let up until late in the fourth quarter. Before halftime, it was evident that the Black Hawks would be marching on and sending the 10th-seeded Jaguars into the off-season.

“With high-school-aged kids, if you're believing you're good then you're good and if you're believing that you're struggling, you're struggling,” Williams Field coach Steve Campbell said. “These are not grown men. It's not the NFL. So that was kind of our focus was, first thing you've gotta do is stop the snowball from rolling downhill, then the second thing is melt it.”

Boulder Creek showed promise on its first drive of the game, working its way into Williams Field territory before a sack stymied their progress. The Black Hawks wasted no time making them pay, with quarterback Kody Guy hitting Braeden Kirsner for a 70-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. Running back Dylan Lee scored a 15-yard touchdown a play later.

Williams Field never looked back. They quickly forced a Boulder Creek three-and-out before scoring on a 13-play, 78-yard drive to make it 14-0. Until the final drive of the first half, every Williams Field drive ended in a touchdown, while every Boulder Creek drive ended in a punt. At the half, the Black Hawks led, 28-0.

For Boulder Creek, the loss of quarterback Everett Stano to injury last week loomed large. The Jaguars were forced into throwing the ball when they fell behind early. From there, they were never able to find an offensive rhythm.

Their lone score of the game came with under a minute in the fourth quarter, when Brennan Curtin hit Karsten Cornell for a five-yard score to get on the board. But by then, it was far too little, far too late.

Key plays

The aforementioned 70-yard pass to Kirsner on Williams Field’s first drive established some early momentum. But it was a trio of defensive plays that stood out.

On Boulder Creek’s first drive, Williams Field got to Stano for a third-down sack. On their second drive, Cornell was stuffed on third-and-one. And on their third drive, Taegue Mullins brought down Stano for another third-down sack.

Those third down stops prevented Boulder Creek from getting out of the gate.

Key players

Running back Dylan Lee was the star of the show for Williams Field. The Black Hawks turned to him whenever they needed key yardage and he responded, rushing for 105 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries.

Williams Field also used its two quarterback system to perfection. Both Kody Guy and Xavier Buckles passed for scores.

Quote of the game

Campbell, on why using two quarterbacks works:

“They play off each other really well. Really, really well. They see stuff for each other. … You saw it when Buckles threw a touchdown today, Kody's our holder and he runs out to the 50-yard line to dap Buckles up before he goes down and holds. Those are two guys playing the same position. The biggest thing with why it's successful is them. That's the kids. The kids, they get it.”

Up next

Williams Field will travel to Tucson to take on No. 2 Salpointe Catholic for its quarterfinal matchup next Friday. The Lancers shut out No. 15 Corona Del Sol 41-0 Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona high school playoffs: First-round nail-biters and blowouts