Roughriders roar back on Senior Night: Pima clips Morenci 13-6 in defensive barnburner

Photo By Darwin Weech: The Pima Roughriders enter the field. Pima came back in the fourth quarter to degeat Morenci 13-7 on Friday night.

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

PIMA – Buckle up because if you blinked during Friday night’s Senior Night showdown at Pima High School, you might’ve missed the fireworks – or in this case, the fizzle of a scoreless first three quarters that exploded into a heart-pounding fourth-quarter frenzy. 

The Roughriders hosted the Morenci Wildcats in a 2A East slugfest that lived up to its billing as a defensive duel in the desert, with Pima emerging victorious 13-6 to extend their winning streak to three and hand the Wildcats their first loss since Week 3.

Pima took its first lead of the night with mere seconds left in the contest when Joe “Lunchbox” Palmer set up to take the direct snap in Pima’s “tush push” wedge lineup from the 2-yard line. Palmer broke through the Wildcats’ defensive front (with perhaps a slight nudge of help from fellow running back Rooster Alder) to give Pima the lead and, ultimately, the victory.

“That was just awesome,” Pima head coach Josh Wilkins said. “Morenci is such a fun game. Every year, we seem to stretch it out right to the bitter end. You know, this is such fun, hard-mouth football, and to be able to just drive the ball at the last. We had a lot of different options, and the boys get down there and call their own play. They knew what they wanted to do to get it in, and I said, ‘Alright, if that’s what you guys want to do, you better get it in.’ I mean, they’re just awesome. I love these boys.”

It was the kind of game that had you gripping your seat as both squads traded punches without landing a knockout until the clock ticked under 11 minutes in the final frame. Morenci struck first when senior tailback Derick Lytle, who finished with 12 carries for 40 yards, squeezed through a seam on fourth-and-3 from the 8-yard line and powered into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown. The two-point try fizzled, but the Wildcats had drawn first blood at 6-0, their lone score in a night where they racked up a whopping 227 rushing yards on 42 carries but couldn’t convert the opportunities.

Photo by Darwin Weech: Pima’s Rooster Alder (11), shown here cutting through the defense, had 145 yards rushing on 16 carries and a touchdown.

Enter the Roughriders’ clapback. Pima, leaning on their ground-and-pound attack, answered right back when quarterback Cedrick Grimes – making his long-awaited return from a preseason shoulder dislocation – hit senior motion man Keegan Corona on a screen pass. Corona, who led all receivers with three catches for 35 yards, turned it into a 35-yard gain down the sideline. On the next snap, “Rooster” Alder – the senior sensation who erupted for 16 carries for 145 yards – broke free for a zig-zagging 35-yard touchdown scamper that tied it at 6-all. The extra point sailed wide, keeping the drama alive with 9:06 to play.

Photo by Darwin Weech: Pima quarterback Cedrick Grimes made his long-awaited return but was a bit rusty, going 4-15 for 34 yards and 3 INTs.

What followed was pure pandemonium, the sort of late-game chess match that separates contenders from pretenders in these desert dust-ups. Pima’s defense, anchored by junior lineman Adam Bryce (11 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks for 17 yards lost) and senior Charles Richardson (7 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks for 20 yards lost), clamped down like a vice. Bryce and Hollen Hoopes teamed for a tackle for loss, Richardson sacked Wildcats QB Deegan Miller (0-for-5 passing, two picks) on third-and-long to force a punt, and the Riders’ special teams flipped the field when Corona zipped a 29-yard punt return deep into Morenci territory.

Photo by Darwin Weech: Keegan Corona makes his move downfield. Corona had 3 catches for 35 yards, an interception, and a big punt return to set up the offense on its winning drive.

But oh, the turnovers – five picks in total, including three by Pima’s beleaguered Grimes (4-of-15 for 34 yards, 3 INT).

Morenci’s Julien Aragon was the night’s rushing king with a monster 28 carries for 188 yards. He chewed up real estate all game, including those back-breaking 40- and 42-yard jaunts in the first half that had the Wildcats knocking on the door. 

Yet Pima’s Joe “Lunchbox” Palmer (6 carries for 18 yards, 15 tackles, 3.0 TFLs) and the Rider D-line stuffed the threats, including a botched handoff fumble at halftime and Bryce’s third-quarter sack that forced a pivotal fourth-and-19.

Down to the wire, Pima faced fourth-and-16 from their own 41 with the game hanging. Grimes, scrambling right, aired it out – only for it to sail over Richardson’s head, drawing a helmet-to-helmet flag that gifted the Riders life at Morenci’s 25. Alder powered for the first down into the red zone, then Corona battled for a deep corner pass, drawing pass interference on McCauley. Rooster picked up the fourth-down conversion with a run to set up Pima with a first-and-goal at the 2 with 18 seconds left.

Photo by Darwin Weech: The Pima Marching Band performs “Thriller” at halftime. The band was selected as the best high school band in the Graham County Fair Parade earlier that same day.

Cue the tush-push magic: Palmer took the direct snap, perhaps got a helpful nudge from Rooster, and plunged in for the go-ahead 2-yard score. Haydn Wilkins drilled the PAT, and suddenly it was 13-6 with seconds to spare. Morenci’s Anthony Rogers (8 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, and a key fumble recovery) returned the squib kick to the 45, but Miller’s Hail Mary fell into the arms of Pima’s Mason Skinner for the pick, sealing the fifth straight win over the Wildcats.

Photo by Darwin Weech: Mason Skinner intercepts Morenci’s Hail Mary pass with under 5 seconds left to seal the game.

In the end, it was Pima’s defensive dominance (76 tackles, 18.0 TFLs, three sacks) that prevailed in a game both teams fumbled away chances – literally, with Pima’s lost snap recovered by Rogers early in the second half.

“I already said how much I appreciate Morenci, but these boys just battled tonight,” Wilkins said. “We came out in the second half and switched our defense around. Adam (Bryce) started just getting after em’ and then things were opening up, and Rooster was just hammering the ball. It was great football. It was fun tonight.”

Photo by Darwin Weech: Wade Peterson tries to follow the ball into his hands but can’t quite hold onto the deflected pass early in the game.

Pima will next travel to visit Madison Highland on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at 7 p.m. The Riders will have their final regular-season home game the following Friday, Oct. 24, starting at 7 p.m. 

Morenci (2-1 region, 5-3 overall) will have no rest as they host region-leader St. Johns (3-0 region, 7-1 overall) on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at 7 p.m. 

In other local prep football action: 

Photo By Darwin Weech: Pima players rejoice in victory.

Thatcher (4-0 region, 6-1 overall) defeated San Tan Foothills 61-0. The Eagles will next host  Payson (3-1 region, 6-1 overall) on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at 7 p.m. 

Duncan (2-2 region, 3-5 overall) fell to San Manuel 28-54. The Wildkats will next travel to face the Mayer Wildcats (1-3 region, 1-5 overall) on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at 7 p.m.  

Willcox (2-0 region, 7-1 overall) defeated Santa Cruz Valley 42-23. The Cowboys will next host the Benson Bobcats on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at 7 p.m.