By Jon Johnson
THATCHER – In a matchup that had all the makings of a classic Eastern Arizona rivalry – crisp autumn air under the lights at John Mickelson Field, packed stands buzzing with hometown pride, and two stubborn defenses trading haymakers – the Thatcher Eagles dug deep to outpower the Pusch Ridge Lions, 28-14, on Friday night.
“It was a good night for us,” said Thatcher head coach Daniel Jones. “We did alright . . . It feels good. In our region, they’re always kind of the white whale out there. They’re always kind of sitting on top, and it’s nice to do what we did. It felt good.”
What the Eagles did was dominate a high-powered offense into scoring just 7 points the entire game, with those coming at the end of the third with the game solidly in Thatcher’s favor.
It was a game of inches, fumbles, and fourth-down gambles, with the Eagles’ opportunistic playmakers turning the tide often enough to keep the Lions at bay and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
The Eagles struck first in a first quarter that felt like a chess match, with both sides probing for weaknesses. Chad Johnson, the poised senior quarterback wearing No. 17, orchestrated a 73-yard opening drive capped by a beauty of a deep ball to Ryan Jones on fourth-and-5 from the 27. Jones, a two-way standout for Thatcher, hauled in the 27-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline, and the extra point sailed true, putting the Eagles up 7-0 with 7:42 left in the period. Johnson also had an impressive game on both offense and defense, throwing and running for TDs while knocking down passes as a defensive back.
Thatcher’s defense, led by the aforementioned Ryan Jones and a relentless Braden Bryce, swarmed the Lions early. Bryce tracked down Pusch Ridge QB MJ Buckner for a near sack on third down, forcing a throwaway, while Tufden Taylor nearly gifted the Eagles a turnover when he jarred the ball loose from Nate Campa on a short completion – though Campa scooped it up for the first down.
The Eagles’ front seven forced a punt after a stout stop, but momentum swung when a near-TD run by Ryan Jones was whistled back for holding, stalling a promising drive.
Undeterred, Johnson scrambled for 18 yards on third-and-25 to cross midfield, but on fourth-and-7 from the Lions’ 42, a low throw to Brigham Palmer (6) fell incomplete, handing the ball back with three minutes ticking away.
The Lions, now quarterbacked by the mobile Race Pinneo (14), answered with a surgical march. Pinneo connected with Campa across midfield, then rifled a strike to Josiah Jones for another first down. Levi Adcock tiptoed the sideline for chunk yards, and a screen to Dominic Painter nearly went the distance – but a diving Chad Johnson and Hudson Conrad dragged him down just shy of paydirt.
From first-and-goal at the 4, the Lions couldn’t punch it in. Cameron Shoaff was stuffed for no gain, an incomplete pass followed, and on third down, another miss set up fourth-and-goal. Ryan Jones then sacked Pinneo for a loss that sealed the turnover on downs, and the Eagles’ sideline erupted as the Lions came up empty. At the end of the first, Thatcher clung to a 7-0 lead over Pusch Ridge.
The second quarter picked up where the first left off, with Ryan Jones to shrugging off a blocker and tackling Painter for a loss. The Lions’ 36-yard field goal attempt hooked wide right, and Pusch Ridge remained scoreless.
Thatcher ball at midfield, and the Eagles wasted little time building on their lead. Smith Mangum bulldozed Painter for a 20-yard gain, Ryan Jones juked around the right side for a first down to the 20, and Johnson hit Dylan Riney on a middle screen. Jackson Bryce then broke free for a 9-yard touchdown scamper to make it 14-0 with 1:32 until the break.
The third quarter belonged to Thatcher’s ground-and-pound mentality. Pinneo showed his legs for a few yards, then hit Painter for a first down, but the Eagles’ defense stiffened on third-and-8. On fourth-and-9, Pinneo bought time and aired it deep, but Johnson leaped to bat it away, forcing the turnover. Josiah Matagaono, the speedy sophomore back, burst through open lanes for a big pickup, Johnson connected with Ryan Jones, and on fourth-and-inches from the 12, the QB kept it himself on a dive to move the chains. Johnson then scrambled 12 yards for the touchdown, bumping the score to 21-0 with 1:57 gone in the frame.
The Lions finally cracked the scoreboard late in the period, though not without drama. Pinneo threw a 48-yard dart to Painter, with Johnson shoving him out at the last moment to avert six. Dylan Shoaff then rumbled up the middle for first-and-goal at the 4, Pinneo added a toss to Josiah Jones, and on third-and-goal from the 1, the QB willed his way in for the score. The PAT trimmed it to 21-7 as the third quarter expired.
The fourth was pure chaos, the kind of quarter that defines rivalries. Thatcher’s defense opened with a tackle for loss, but the Lions converted third-and-short on forward progress. Facing fourth-and-10 from the 31, Teagan Damron blindsided Pinneo for a strip-sack, and Travis Larson scooped the fumble and rumbled 55 yards the other way – though a block-in-the-back flag yanked it back a bit. Still, prime field position for the Eagles.
On second-and-13 from the 33, Mangum took the handoff, followed pulling tackle Vincent Bejarano around the right, and romped 33 yards untouched for the touchdown. That made it 28-7 with 6:51 to play, and the stadium shook.
But Painter, the Lions’ electric return man, had other ideas. He fielded the ensuing kick at the 10, got lost in the shuffle, then hit the afterburners for a jaw-dropping 90-yard house call, pulling Pusch Ridge within 28-14 at 6:33. Suddenly, the Lions found themselves with 4:41 left and the ball at Thatcher’s 35. After a penalty-aided drive, the Lions smelled blood.
Enter Ryan Jones, the game’s Swiss Army knife. He stepped in front of a Pinneo pass for a pick at the 7-yard line, his first interception of the night.
When asked if he ever gets tired playing both offense and defense, Jones scoffed.
“No, I love football, there’s no reason to be tired,” he said. “I get my breaks on special teams.”
Jackson Bryce grinded for yards, Matagaono broke a 27-yard sprint across midfield, and as the clock wound down, the Eagles ran it out. With the final score, Thatcher 28, Pusch Ridge 14.
“We had a couple mental letdowns – that thing with the kickoff – but I think physically we did really well. We were very dominant tonight. They have a great offense. They’re a great football team, and our kids really bit in, and we challenged them to be physical and handle them, and we did it. We did a good job.”
Ryan Jones, who snagged that crucial pick, a touchdown reception earlier, a game-sealing sack on fourth down, and nearly added a rushing score before the holding flag, echoed the sentiment.
“We go over it every day in practice,” Ryan Jones said. “We make sure we prepare for every team. We just make sure we know everything. Practice is consistent – the game is consistent – film is consistent – we’re 100 percent in everything.”
Thatcher (2-0 region, 4-1 overall) will look to make it three in a row next week at home again at John Mickleson field as they take on rival Safford.
In other local prep football action:
Safford (1-1 region, 2-4 overall) defeated the San Tan Foothills Sabercats 20-0. The Bulldogs will next head to Thatcher to take on their rival, the Eagles, on Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.
Pima (1-1 region, 2-4 overall) got its first home win, defeating Miami 55-0. The Roughriders are scheduled to next visit Globe on Friday, Oct. 3, starting at 7 p.m.
Morenci (1-0 region, 4-2 overall) defeated Benson 20-14 on Thursday night. The Wildcats will next host Miami on Friday, Oct. 3, starting at 7 p.m.
Willcox (0-0 region, 5-1 overall) defeated Scottsdale Prep 48-14. The Cowboys will next host Desert Christian on Friday, Oct. 3, starting at 7 p.m.
Duncan (2-2 region, 3-3 overall) defeated Baboquivari 50-20. The Wildkats will next host Ray on Friday, Oct. 3, starting at 7 p.m.
Fort Thomas (1-1 region, 1-5 overall) fell 26-54 to Ray to drop its fifth straight game. The Apaches look to bounce back on Friday, Oct. 3, on the road at Valley Union, starting at 7 p.m.
