By Jon Johnson/Gila Herald
PIMA — Powered by a relentless ground assault and a suffocating fourth-quarter defense, the Pima Roughriders secured their first win of the season Friday night, overcoming early defensive stands by Tombstone to pull away for a decisive 36-12 victory.
“We came out pretty firing on all cylinders and thought we would take two,” coach Josh Wilkins said. “We had kind of a mishap, and something happened and didn’t get called and that’s part of football and you gotta deal with it and we responded. And then we kind of let off the gas.”
Junior running back Kaden Davis served as the engine for Pima’s offense all evening, setting the tone on the very first drive. After quarterback Cedrick Grimes opened with a 20-yard play-action pass to Davis in the flat, the junior back consistently pounded the interior to push Pima into the red zone. Mason Skinner capped off the drive, sweeping to the edge for Pima’s first touchdown and walking in untouched for the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.
Tombstone quickly found itself in trouble after turning the ball over on downs deep in its own territory. Grimes capitalized immediately with a designed QB run into the red zone, but Yellow Jacket defender Hank Moody turned the momentum right back, stepping in front of a double-covered pass in the end zone for a clutch interception.
Despite the defensive stand, Tombstone struggled to ignite its offense. Pima’s defense squashed a trick pass attempt from Vincent Ciccariello to Moody, forcing a punt that Emmet McBiles returned 19 yards into Tombstone territory. As the opening quarter closed, Keegan Espinoza slashed through the defense for a 15-yard gain inside the 20.
Pima capitalized early in the second quarter when Grimes found a wide-open Skinner in the corner of the end zone for his second score of the night, followed by a Davis two-point conversion push for a 16-0 cushion.
Tombstone refused to go quietly. On the ensuing drive, Ciccariello squeezed a pass just past Pima’s blitzing linebacker and defensive lineman to strike Moody in stride in the flat. Moody then exploded 75 yards down the sideline for the touchdown, cutting the lead to 16-6.
Pima responded by doubling down on its rushing attack. Despite a holding penalty wiping out an initial scoring opportunity, Davis took over, punching in a 5-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 22-6 with 7:45 remaining in the half. Tombstone countered late in the second quarter, converting a gutsy 4th-and-2 from midfield before Xavier Lopez punched in a 3-yard run to bring the score to 22-12. A late-half interception by Tombstone’s Kolter Zerbel kept Pima from scoring any more, and a clock-expiring 47-yard scramble by Grimes came up just short to keep the margin at 10 heading into halftime.
“At halftime, we kind of challenged the guys, ‘You know, you can’t let off the gas no matter who you’re playing – you gotta keep going.’ We came out the second half, and I think they really responded,” said coach Wilkins. “And even when we kind of had some things that didn’t go our way – to step up down there at the end on the goal line and hold them the way they did that was (great).”
The third quarter turned into a tight defensive battle. Davis ripped off a 24-yard burst down to the Tombstone 34-yard line, but the Yellow Jackets held on fourth down. Later, after a tackle-evading run by Lopez put Tombstone in striking distance, Pima’s Graham McBride snuffed out a 4th-and-9 fake punt with an open-field tackle to hand the ball back to the Riders.
Pima put the game out of reach in the final frame. Davis set up and finished a quick scoring drive with a 13-yard touchdown sweep around the left side, followed by a Roddy Allred two-point run to extend the advantage to 30-12. Minutes later, Skinner provided the dagger, picking off a Ciccariello pass and returning it 43 yards for a pick-six to extend the lead to 36-12.
A final goal-line stand by Pima’s defense stopped Lopez at the 4-yard line on 4th-and-goal, preserving the final margin as Pima took the victory formation to close out the win.
For his three touchdowns (two offensive, one defensive) and two-point conversion, Mason Skinner was chosen as the Gila Herald’s Player of the Game. He said the win would help propel the team into their next contest up north against Round Valley.
“I just wanted to stay focused and play as a team player,” Skinner said. “Thanks to all my players and coaches out there helping me get through it. It’s going to get us some good momentum to carry on to Round Valley next week.”
Friday Night Lights Scoreboard
- Pima 36, Tombstone 12
- Duncan 28, Fort Thomas 14
- Safford 21, Blue Ridge 0
- Thatcher 44, Apache Junction 0
- Willcox 34, Arizona Lutheran 14
- Morenci 14 Tanque Verde 7
Next Opponents
- Pima Roughriders (1-1): Travel to Eagar next week to face Round Valley (2-0) in the Dome on Friday, Sept. 4.
- Thatcher Eagles (2-0): Will host Benjamin Franklin (2-0) in a tough, early-season matchup.
- Safford Bulldogs (2-0): Travel to Tucson to face Seton Catholic Prep (0-2) on Friday, Sept. 4.
- Morenci Wildcats (1-1): Will host Willcox (2-0) on Friday, Sept. 4.
- Willcox Cowboys (2-0): Travel to face Morenci (1-1) on Friday, Sept. 4.
