By Jon Johnson/Gila Herald
jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com
WILLCOX — High school football games are often decided by momentum, adjustments, and big-time playmakers. On Friday night in the Gila Valley Game of the Week, all three were on full display—along with a two-hour lightning delay and a series of controversial officiating calls that left the Pima Roughriders shell-shocked and the Willcox Cowboys celebrating a hard-fought 34-21 victory to stay unbeaten.
Before the rivalry showdown kicked off, the stadium stood in quiet reflection for a moment of silence, honoring the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on their 25th anniversary. Once the whistle blew, however, the intensity was immediate.
For Pima, the night told a story of missed opportunities and whistle-driven heartbreaks. The Roughriders jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when quarterback Cedrick Grimes connected with Gilbert Bryce on a 23-yard strike, setting up a wild play where Bryce fumbled into the end zone, and Mason Skinner swooped in from behind to dive past a defender for the touchdown recovery.
However, as the game wore on, the officiating crew repeatedly derailed Pima’s rhythm. The first major blow came on Pima’s next drive: Grimes executed a near-flawless fake handoff and broke free down the sideline toward what appeared to be an uncontested touchdown run. But an official prematurely blew the play dead, possibly believing the player who faked getting the handoff actually had the ball and stopped the play, robbing the Roughriders of six points. Forced to settle for a reset at the 20-yard line, Pima was eventually backed up by penalties before Grimes found Emmet McBiles over the middle for a 13-yard touchdown to salvage a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Willcox, meanwhile, relied on a pounding ground attack and relentless power football to wear down the Riders. Cowboy running back Kaleb Cooke proved nearly unstoppable, scoring on a 9-yard sweep in the first quarter and a 3-yard plunge in the second to keep the Cowboys tied 14-14 with 8:54 left in the half.
Then came the true turning point of the game—a combination of nature and self-inflicted mistakes.
Just after Pima defender Joe “Lunchbox” Palmer came up with a clutch fumble recovery, the skies opened up wth a light show. Two consecutive lightning delays halted play for nearly two hours, pausing action until roughly 10 p.m.
When the teams finally returned to the field, the tide shifted decisively in favor of Willcox. Pima’s opening third-quarter drive stalled quickly, and a fourth-and-forever fake punt attempt backfired near their own end zone. Capitalizing instantly, Cooke punched in a 5-yard touchdown—his third score of the night—to give Willcox a 20-14 lead.
Willcox kept its foot on the gas. After Robert Hill Jr. hit Da’Marion Jackson for a 36-yard bomb downfield, Anthony Morales set up the offense inside the red zone, allowing Cooke to plunge in for his fourth touchdown of the game to extend the lead to 27-14.
Pima refused to go quietly. Grimes sparked a fourth-quarter rally by hitting Keegan Espinoza deep and then floating a 25-yard touchdown pass to Graham McBride under heavy pressure, trimming the deficit to 27-21 with 11:45 remaining.
With momentum swinging back toward the visitors, the game reached its boiling point. McBiles fielded a Willcox punt cleanly, followed a dynamic block, and returned the ball down to the Cowboy 40-yard line—positioning Pima for a potential go-ahead drive. But an official flagged the return for an illegal block in the back, nullifying the runback and pinning Pima deep in its own territory. Trapped near their own goal line, the Roughriders suffered back-to-back sacks, forcing a short punt that gave Willcox the ball at the Pima 15.
Moments later, Zander Klump broke free for a 15-yard run into the end zone, but officials controversially ruled him short at the 1-yard line. Following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed against Jackson that backed Willcox up to the 15, Hill took matters into his own hands, firing a corner pass to Jackson for the game-sealing touchdown to make it 34-21.
Despite the frustrating loss, Pima head coach Josh Wilkins focused on his team’s growth and resilience coming off a tough performance the previous week.
“No one likes to lose football games, but after we laid an egg at Round Valley, we had a good talk with the boys and challenged them to recommit to find out who we really wanted to be this year,” Wilkins said. “We had a great week of practice, and I think we have started to turn a corner. We have a brutal schedule that is very heavy felt upfront, and sometimes we get slapped in the mouth, so although we didn’t win on Friday, I really think there is a lot of positive to get away from it. We’re definitely looking forward to St. Johns.”
Willcox improves to 3-0 on the season and will host Tombstone on Sept. 18 before a Sept. 25 matchup against Scottsdale Prep. Pima will look to get back in the win column when they travel to face St. Johns on Saturday, Sept. 19.
In other prep football action:
Safford leads Winslow 14-0. The game was called in the first quarter due to lightning and will be completed Oct. 8. Safford will next host the Coolidge Bears on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Morenci defeated Bisbee, 14-0. The Wildcats will next host the Globe Tigers on Friday, Sept. 18.
Desert Heights Prep defeated Fort Thomas, 34- 22. The Apaches will next host the Superior Panthers on Friday, Sept. 18.
St. David defeated Duncan, 50-0. The Wildkats will next host the Maryvale Prep Matadors on Friday, Sept. 18.
Globe defeated Miami, 48-0. The Tigers will next travel to face Morenci on Friday, Sept. 18.
On Thursday, Thatcher defeated Florence, 49-14. Thatcher will next travel to face Tucson Push Ridge on Friday, Sept. 25.
