“I hate losing football games, but that was fun.”
Pima head coach Josh Wilkins
By Jon Johnson
CHANDLER — Just two weeks after a 53-14 regular-season defeat to the Titans, the Pima Roughriders returned to Chandler on Friday, Nov. 6, seeking redemption in the second round of the 2A state football playoffs.
What followed was a brutal, hard-fought battle of styles. Pima’s smash-mouth ground game chewed up the clock and churned out 314 rushing yards, while Chandler Prep countered with a high-flying aerial assault led by quarterback Kody Dodson. In the end, a final red-zone drive by the Roughriders fell literally inches short, allowing the Titans to escape with a narrow 26-21 victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
“Coming off two weeks ago, they were like, ‘This is it.’ And they’re like, ‘Guys, don’t dwell on one thing. Mistakes happen in life. That’s how you get back up and respond.’ And man, they responded,” Pima head coach Josh Wilkins said. “They did everything we asked them to. We threw guys out there in new spots, tried different things, and just came together and just couldn’t be more proud of the game.”
A Defensive Start and Ground-Game Dominance
Pima signaled early that this matchup would look entirely different from their previous meeting. The Roughriders opened the game with three straight stops, forcing three consecutive turnovers on downs as Joe Palmer—serving as a spy on Dodson—kept the dynamic quarterback under wraps.
Pima capitalized on its offensive game plan to control the clock and wear down the Titans. Junior workhorse Kaden Davis carried the load, grinding out 155 yards on 31 carries with a touchdown. Joe Palmer added 78 yards and two touchdowns on just 8 carries, highlighted by a massive 57-yard scoring scamper in the second quarter that put Pima up 14-0. Adam Bryce also contributed heavily on the ground with 70 yards on 14 carries.
However, the explosive Titans roared back before halftime. Dodson connected on a 29-yard pass to Aaron Crawford and later tossed a 36-yard touchdown to Ammar Ahmed to tie the game at 14-14 heading into the break.
A Second-Half Slugfest
Chandler Prep seized momentum in the third quarter when Dodson hit Crawford for a 56-yard catch-and-run score. Despite a blocked extra point, the Titans led 20-14. After a Pima turnover on downs, Titan running back Marshawn Britt broke free for a 41-yard score late in the third quarter, extending Chandler Prep’s lead to 26-14.
Never out of it, Pima answered in the fourth. Quarterback Cedrick Grimes orchestrated a drive capped by a short touchdown run from Davis after a controversial catch ruling: it appeared Dodson had intercepted Grimes, but the official gave the catch to Pima’s Keegan Espinoza, giving Pima a first-and-goal and life for Davis’ score. Haydn Wilkins’ extra point cut the deficit to five, 26-21, with 8:10 remaining.
Final-Seconds Drama
Pima’s defense stiffened, forcing a punt and giving the offense the ball back down five with 6:22 on the clock. Executing their game plan to perfection, the Roughriders mounted a methodical, clock-eating march down the field.
Facing a desperate 4th-and-10 from the 17 with 30 seconds left, Grimes rolled right and fired into the end zone. Though the pass fell incomplete, a pass-interference penalty gave Pima a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line with 21 seconds remaining.
After a Davis run was stuffed, Pima spiked the ball with 5 seconds left; the season came down to one final play. Grimes zipped a pass toward Gilbert Bryce in the end zone, but Chandler’s Ammar Ahmed made a game-saving defensive deflection to bat the ball away, securing the 26-21 win for the Titans.
Dodson finished the night throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns for Chandler Prep, with Crawford pulling in 6 receptions for 174 yards and two scores—breaking the 2A state record for receiving yardage in the process.
Chandler Prep advances to the 2A quarterfinals and will host the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils on Friday, Nov. 13, starting at 7 p.m.
Proud in Defeat: Coach Wilkins Reflects
Though the loss brought a tearful end to the postseason run, Pima head coach Josh Wilkins expressed immense pride in how his squad responded, weathered the storm, and executed the game plan against a tough opponent.
“Such a good. I mean, those boys—we liked weathering the storm, sticking to the plan,” Wilkins said after the game. “Guys, we got this. We know what we wanted to do. We got it with six minutes left. We’re like, we’re eating this clock, guys. We’re not going to leave them any time left. And we just, man, right off the fingertips, two times, and great defense. But man, that was awesome. I hate losing football games, but that was fun.”
Addressing his senior class after playing their final game in a Roughrider uniform, Wilkins offered a heartfelt message about character and resilience:
“Hey, senior class, I love you guys so much. This has been an amazing four years,” Wilkins said. “Most of you guys have been playing for me for four years, and thanks for pulling this team together. You know, every time we were down, we came back up, and we became better men because of it, because of you. You’re going to be better men in life, so go out and attack life with the way you attack things on the field, and you’ll accomplish great things.”
