Canyon del Oro wins Arizona 4A football championship over Yuma Catholic

Canyon del Oro knew what it had. The Dorados knew what they had Friday night, as the 4A state championship game threatened to slip away. They knew what they had last fall, when their season ended in overtime in the semi-finals. Really, they knew what they had almost four years ago.

That’s when this senior class walked onto campus, all 29 of them. Isolated in Tucson, two hours from the talent of the Valley, coach Dustin Peace isn’t able to replenish his roster with new talent every summer. Everything, for the most part, has to come from within.

“It’s tough,” Peace said. “We don’t get the consistency all the time where we’re fighting for a state title.”

So when the Dorados do get those opportunities, they have to seize them. Over a decade ago, Peace did that in his first season at the helm, leading Canyon del Oro to the 2009 4A state championship with a roster populated by NFL talent. On Friday night, he did so again.

And now, this latest generation of Canyon del Oro heroes will have their name on the state's gold ball. With a 35-27 win over Yuma Catholic, they are champions again.

“For a lifetime, nobody can take this from us,” senior Grant Young said. “That's what's so great about it is we put in all this work and it finally pays off.”

Looking to put the game away early

Canyon del Oro’s title seemed like an inevitability after the first play of the fourth quarter. That’s when Young jumped a screen pass from Yuma Catholic quarterback Nash Ott, cradled it in his arms and took it 50 yards to the end zone, giving the Dorados a 35-14 lead.

Afterwards, a reporter noted that it looked like Young saw the play before it happened.

“I’d pretty much say I did,” Young responded.

That readiness was a testament to his coaching staff. In the week leading up to the game, Canyon del Oro recognized that Yuma Catholic leaned heavily on its screen game. They implemented a new defensive look, having their pass rushers drop into coverage to defend against those screens. On Young’s interception, he recognized a familiar set, with three receivers lined up to the left.

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“Knowing the quarterback, just read his eyes,” Young said. “I saw him look over, I took off coverage and next thing you know, the ball's in my hand.”

At the time, Young’s interception was the exclamation point on a dominant performance. The Dorados were outgaining Yuma Catholic by almost 200 yards. Their star running back, Kayden Luke, was unstoppable. Even with a quiet fourth quarter, he ended his day with 217 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, finishing a four-game playoff run with 125 carries for 845 yards.

“Once I get home and lay down in my bed, I’m gonna be hurting,” he said later. All of it was a tidy story of a deserving champion.

Yuma Catholic's comeback campaign

Instead, it nearly fell apart. Yuma Catholic used a big kickoff return from Hunter Hancock to set up a quick touchdown run from Tayt Ford. Thanks to a successful onside kick, they were back in the end zone just two minutes later, again through Ford.

On the Canyon del Oro sideline, nerves intensified. Each time the Dorados had a chance to wrestle back control, the chance evaporated.

First, they gave the ball back thanks to a fourth-down fumble deep in Yuma Catholic territory. Then, with the Shamrocks driving, Canyon del Oro twice failed to get fourth down stops. On the first of those fourth downs, Ott hit Darryl Coleman on a post route for 17 yards. On the second, Hancock ducked out of a tackle in the backfield to reach the sticks. With 16 seconds left, Yuma Catholic had made its way down to the 15-yard line.

Fifteen yards from elation. Fifteen yards from devastation.

“My heart couldn't take it,” Peace said.

His players saw it differently.

“I don’t think we were very nervous,” Luke said. “We put faith in our guys.”

That faith paid off. Finally, on Yuma Catholic’s third fourth down, the magic wore out. With eight seconds left, 15 yards to the end zone and no other choice, Ott threw into double coverage, watching his last pass of the season drop harmlessly beyond the back of the end zone.

When it did, Canyon del Oro’s defenders raised their arms to the sky in unison. Two of them met for a hug in the end zone. All of them knew what it meant. They had seized their opportunity.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Canyon del Oro earns 4A title with dramatic win over Yuma Catholic