Roughriders oust Pumas, meet No. 2 Phoenix
By Raymundo Frasquillo
MESA – The No. 3 Thatcher Eagles (10-2 overall) meet the No. 2 Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills Guardians (12-0) at 2 p.m. and the No. 4 Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian Lions (11-1) meet the No. 1 Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin Chargers (11-1) at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, both in Mesa’s Jackrabbits Stadium, 1630 East Southern Avenue.
Thatcher eliminated No. 6 Florence (10-2) 38-9, while Pusch Ridge ousted No. 12 Surprise Paradise Honors (7-5) 38-6 during the quarterfinals on Nov. 15.
No. 2 ALA West Foothills Guardians (12-0)
Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills (12-0, 5-0 Metro West Region for first of five) averaged a 37-5 (441-60) score per game or a 32-point margin. The Guardians had seeding wins over Buckeye Odyssey Institute (70-0, Aug. 23), Wickenburg (41-6, Aug. 30), Bullhead City Mohave (1-0, Sept. 6), Peoria (7-6, Sept. 13), Laveen Heritage (49-0, Sept. 20), Surprise Paradise Honors (45-0, Oct. 4), Yuma (37-7, Oct. 11), Tucson Sabino (28-0, Oct. 18), Yuma Kofa (37-7, Oct. 25), and El Mirage Dysart (49-14, Nov. 1).
In the postseason, the Chad Mitton-coached Guardians eliminated No. 15 Dysart (49-14, Nov. 8) in the first round and No. 7 Eagar Round Valley (28-6, Nov. 15) in the quarterfinals.
No. 3 Thatcher Eagles (10-2)
Thatcher (10-2, 3-1 South Region for second of five) averaged a 32-12 (379-138) score per game or a 20-point margin. The Eagles had seeding wins over Surprise Paradise Honors (32-0, Aug. 23), Queen Creek Crimson (15-0, Aug. 30), Valley Christian (31-13, Sept. 6), Round Valley (35-27, Sept. 13), Show Low (42-16, Oct. 4), Sabino (41-12, Oct. 11), Safford (28-0, Oct. 18), and Morenci (42-6, Nov. 1).
The losses were to Yuma Catholic (12-19, Sept. 20) and Pusch Ridge (7-22, Oct. 25).
In the postseason, the Daniel Jones-coached Eagles eliminated No. 14 Gilbert Christian (56-14, Nov. 8) in the first round and No. 6 Florence (38-9, Nov. 15) in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Benjamin Franklin Chargers (11-1)
Benjamin Franklin (11-1, 4-0 Metro East Region for first of five) averaged a 41-13 (489-158) score per game or a 28-point margin. The Chargers had seeding wins over Queen Creek Crimson (34-7, Aug. 23), Coolidge (59-0, Aug. 30), Pusch Ridge (31-7, Sept. 6), Phoenix Bourgade Catholic (69-0, Sept. 19), American Leadership – Ironwood (35-14, Sept. 27), Tempe (56-6, Oct. 3), Florence (21-12, Oct. 25), Gilbert Christian (42-7, Oct. 25), and Valley Christian (49-28, Nov. 1).
The loss was to Scottsdale Arcadia (26-27, Sept. 13).
In the postseason, the Danny Norris-coached Chargers eliminated No. 16 Page (34-24, Nov. 8) in the first round and No. 8 ALA—Ironwood (33-26, Nov. 15) in the quarterfinals.
No. 4 Pusch Ridge Lions (11-1)
Pusch Ridge (10-1, 4-0 South Region for first of five) averaged a 40-6 (476-68) score per game or a 34-point margin. The Lions had seeding wins over Show Low (42-3, Aug. 30), Yuma (51-0, Sept. 13), Tucson Catalina Foothills (44-7, Sept. 20), San Tan Valley San Tan Foothills (45-0, Sept. 27), Sabino (42-14, Oct. 4), Morenci (29-0, Oct. 11), Coolidge (68-0, Oct. 18), Thatcher (22-7, Oct. 25), and Safford (45-0, Nov. 1).
The loss was to Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (7-31, Aug. 30).
In the post-season, the Kent Middleton-coached Lions eliminated No. 13 Lakeside Blue Ridge (43-0, Nov. 8) during the first round and No. 12 Surprise Paradise Honors (38-6, Nov. 15) during the quarterfinals.
3A State Tourney
Two teams from the South Region, along with one each from the Metro East and Metro West Regions, have yet to inventory equipment.
The semifinal pairings feature the top four ranked teams: No. 1 Benjamin Franklin (11-1 overall) versus No. 4 Pusch Ridge (11-1) and No. 2 Waddell ALA – West Foothills (12-0) vs. No. 3 Thatcher (10-2).
The quarterfinals had two teams representing the Central (2-5), Metro West Region (3-6), and South (2-5) Regions, as well as one from both the East (3-5) and Metro East (2-5) Regions still in contention.
Quarterfinal advancements were all by the upper seeds, No. 1 Benjamin Franklin via a 33-26 win over No. 8 American Leadership – Ironwood (9-3), No. 4 Pusch Ridge via a 38-6 win over No. 12 Surprise Paradise Honors (7-5), No. 3 Thatcher via a 38-9 win over No. 6 Florence (10-2), and No. 2 Waddell ALA – West Foothills via a 28-6 win over No. 10 Eagar Round Valley (8-4).
The East (3-5), Metro West (3-6), and West (3-5) Regions each had three representatives in the first round, the Central (2-5), South (2-5), and Metro East (2-5) two apiece; and the North (1-6) one each.
In upper bracket first-round games, No. 1 Benjamin Franklin (9-1 seeding, 18.0518 rating) ousted No. 16 Page (7-3, 4.7809) 46-0, No. 8 ALA – Ironwood (8-2, 12.2790) defeated No. 9 Payson (8-2, 11.1850) 36-20, No. 12 Paradise Honors (6-4, 7.1392) upset No. 5 Bullhead City Mohave (8-2, 15.7595) 43-0, and No. 4 Pusch Ridge (9-1, 7.3519) eliminated No. 13 Lakeside Blue Ridge (7-3 seeding, 5.4706 rating) 43-0.
Bottom bracket games had No. 3 Thatcher (8-2, 16.8733) Mercy Ruling No. 14 Gilbert Christian (6-4 seeding, 6.3528 rating) 56-14, No. 6 Florence (9-1, 15.1658) defeating No. 11 Wickenburg (7-3, 9.1765) 21-7, No. 10 Round Valley (7-3, 10.4224) upsetting No. 7 Mohave Valley River Valley (9-1, 12.4120) 35-18, and No. 2 ALA – West Foothills (10-0, 17.1329) eliminating No. 15 El Mirage Dysart (7-3, 6.3130) 49-14.
No. 3 Thatcher – 38, No. 6 Florence – 9
“(WE’RE) NOT DONE YET!” shouted the Thatcher Eagles, adding, “We’re heading to Mesa.”
It followed the 38-9 quarterfinal win over Florence. The Eagles scored on six of 13 possessions on Nov. 15, while the visiting Florence Gophers did so twice in 12 possessions.
Florence head coach Jesse Hart told Thatcher head coach Daniel Jones, ”Win it all!” during the post-game sportsmanship ritual.
Thatcher drove 56 yards in four plays, leading 6-0 with 1:43 elapsed in the second quarter, and never trailed thereafter. Senior Cody Bingham gained 29 yards on three consecutive carries, and senior Wyatt Nicholas caught junior Chad Johnson’s pass for the 25-yard score.
Florence countered with senior Darren Swain’s 25-yard field goal (6-3) on 4th-and-goal after gaining 14 of 19 yards but got no closer during the rest of the game. The Gophers came up empty on their ensuing two possessions, gaining 29 of 56 yards in four plays before fumbling on 2nd-and-6 and punting after losing 15 of 55 yards in three plays on 4th-and-25.
Thatcher added 18 more points during its next three possessions of the first half, covering 207 yards in 11 plays. Senior Kody Bingham scampered 80 yards on 1st-and-10, and Johnson connected with senior Brett Jones on the conversion pass (14-3) with 6:16 left; Bingham ran 10 yards on 1st-and-goal to cap a 73-yard drive in six plays and junior Luke Marble added the conversion kick (21-3) with 1:37 left, and Marble kicked a 25-yard field goal (24-3) on 3rd-and-14 after 40 yards were gained in four plays with two seconds left.
The fourth quarter saw the visitors score on the second of three possessions. Senior Logan Stenson connected with junior Wyatt Stenson for a 34-yard score on 4th-and-7 to cap a 68-yard drive in six plays (31-9). Florence preceded that with a punt on 4th-and-14 after losing four of 40 yards in three plays and followed it with an interception on 3rd-and-5 after gaining 42 of 63 yards in five plays.
Thatcher scored twice and ran out of time on its three possessions. The Eagles covered 92 yards in six plays, with Johnson capping it on a seven-yard run on 2nd-and-goal. Marble added the conversion kick for a 31-3 advantage with 10:08 remaining.
Senior Tristun Brown capped a 9-play, 89-yard drive on 3rd-and-goal with a yard run, and Marble added the conversion kick for the final score of 38-9 with 2:55 left. Senior Madden MaGill intercepted a Florence pass with 44 seconds to go from 81 yards away. The final buzzer sounded before the ball was snapped.
The game was scoreless in the opening and third quarters, as both teams were unable to mount a sustained drive on each of their three possessions during the two sessions.
In the first, Thatcher punted after no gain on 4th-and-10 and after gaining five yards on 4th-and-5, and fumbled on 1st-and-10 while Florence punted thrice after losing two yards on 4th-and-12 after losing 11 yards on 4th-and-21, and after losing 37 yards on 4th-and-goal.
The third quarter found Florence totaling 32 yards of 198 yards on 11 plays. The Gophers turned the ball over on 4th-and-1 after five plays, gained 23 of 71 yards, punted on 4th-and-5 after gaining five of 86 yards in three plays, and punted on 4th-and-goal after gaining four of 41 yards.
Thatcher totaled 33 yards of 207 yards on nine plays. The Eagles punted on 4th-and-4 after gaining six of 54 yards in three plays, fumbled on 1st-and-10 after gaining 13 of 56 yards in one play, and punted on 4th-and-10 after gaining 14 of 97 yards in five plays.
2A State Tourney
The semifinals will be held at Mesa Westwood, 945 West Rio Salado Parkway, on Saturday, Nov. 23. Third-ranked Pima (11-1 overall) will meet No. 2 Tonopah Valley (12-0) at 2 p.m., and No. 1 Gilbert San Tan Charter will meet No. 12 Scottsdale Christian (8-4) at 6 p.m.
Glendale Mountain Ridge, 22800 North 67th Avenue, will host the championship on Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.
In the quarterfinals, three teams representing the Verde Region (3-7) were in the same bracket, two from the Gila Region (3-7) were in the same bracket, and one from the Black (3-7), Salt (2-7), and San Pedro (2-7) Regions remained in contention.
All of the higher seeds advanced, with No. 1 Gilbert San Tan Charter (11-0) 30-12 over No. 8 Scottsdale Prep (10-1), No. 12 Scottsdale Christian (7-4) 26-24 over No. 13 Phoenix Veritas Prep (8-3), No. 3 Pima (10-1) 38-22 over No. 6 Bisbee (10-1), and No. 2 Tonopah Valley (11-0) 56-30 over No. 7 Phoenix Arizona Lutheran (8-3).
The first-round pairings were 3-7 from the Black, Gila, and Verde Regions, 2-7 from the Agua Fria, Salt, and San Pedro Regions, and 1-8 from the Little Colorado Region.
In upper bracket first-round games, No. 1 San Tan Charter (10-0 seeding, 15.7019 rating) ousted No. 16 Holbrook (7-3, minus 2.1938) 50-24, No. 8 Scottsdale Prep (9-1, 7.3519) defeated No. 9 Willcox (7-3, 5.4706) 27-21, No. 12 Scottsdale Christian (6-4, 4.1569) upset No. 5 Eloy Santa Cruz (8-2, 9.9324) 28-6, and No. 13 Veritas Prep (7-3, 3.7681) upset No. 4 Phoenix Christian (8-1, 11.0954) 23-20.
Bottom bracket pairings had No. 3 Pima (9-1, 11.7051) eliminating No. 14 Saint Johns (6-4, 1.8144) 44-27, No. 6 Bisbee (9-1, 8.4956) downing No. 11 Camp Verde (7-3, 5.2799) 33-20, No. 7 Arizona Lutheran (7-3, 8.1435) ousting No. 10 Miami (7-3, 5.2910) 80-20, and No. 2 Tonopah Valley (10-0, 14.0878) slipping past No. 15 Parker (5-4, 0.8357) 24-22.
Laveen Heritage (5-4, 1.7665) finished as No. 16, but No. 23 Holbrook (7-3, minus 2.1938) had an automatic slot by virtue of going 7-0 for first in the Little Colorado Region.
No. 2 Tonopah Valley Phoenix (12-0)
Tonopah Valley (12-0 overall, 14.0878 rating, 6-0 Gila Region for first of seven) averaged a 43-13 (519-158) score per game or a 30-point margin. The Phoenix had seeding wins over Phoenix Cortez (40-0, Aug. 23), Willcox (65-20, Aug. 30), Buckeye Odyssey Institute (39-0, Sept. 6), Scottsdale Christian (35-32, Sept. 13), Glendale Trivium Prep (50-6, Sept. 19), Avondale Saint John Paul II Catholic (54-0, Sept. 26), Parker (48-12, Oct. 4), California Winterhaven San Pasqual (60-0, Oct. 11), Arizona Lutheran (30-24, Oct. 18), and Wellton Antelope (58-12, Oct. 25).
In the postseason, the Brett Davis-coached No. 2 Phoenix eliminated No. 15 Parker (24-22, Nov. 8) in the first round and No. 7 Arizona Lutheran (56-30, Nov. 15) in the quarterfinals.
No. 3 Pima Roughriders (11-1)
Pima (11-1 overall, 11.7051 rating, 6-0 Black Region for first of seven) averaged a 36-11 (429-131) score per game or a 25-point margin. The Roughriders had seeding wins over Globe (41-0, Aug. 23), Morenci (20-14 in 2 OT, Sept. 13), Saint Johns (7-2, Sept. 20), Miami (54-12, Sept. 27), ALA – Anthem South (58-7, Oct. 4), Scottsdale Christian (20-17, Oct. 11), Alchesay (48-0, Oct. 18), San Carlos (63-0, Oct. 25), and Santa Cruz (29-22, Nov. 1).
The loss was to Safford (7-14, Aug. 29).
In the post-season, the Josh Wilkins-coached No. 3 Roughriders eliminated No. 14 Saint Johns (44-21, Nov. 8) during the first round and No. 6 Bisbee (38-22, Nov. 15) during the quarterfinals.
