Salpointe, Cienega, Catalina Foothills all advance to semifinals; I-Ridge, Marana lose
- Updated
News, final scores and stats from this week's quarterfinal high school football playoff games.
- Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The common football parlance for the 1-2 punch that the Salpointe Catholic football team delivered against visiting Marcos de Niza on Thursday night is thunder and lightning.
What do they call the 1-2-3-4 knockout that the Lancers landed against the Padres?
Perhaps Double Thunder, Double Lightning?
Sophomore running back Mario Padilla ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns, freshman Swiss Army Knife tailback/wideout Bijan Robinson broke free on a 49-yard touchdown connection with Sean Barton and added 109 yards rushing and linebackers Anthony Madril and Cameron Tober picked up crucial quarterback sacks to lead Salpointe into the 4A semifinals with a 48-6 win over Marcos de Niza in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup (see box score below).
“We had a really good week of practice, and I was just trying to get them believing in themselves,” Salpointe coach Dennis Bene said. “Marcos is such a good team, led by a legendary coach, and I just wanted the kids to be loose and believe they could play at this level and boy they really executed tonight.”
The Lancers struck early with Padilla breaking off a 24-yard run to set up a 10-yard touchdown on the first drive, and they added a field goal after forcing a fumble on the Padres’ first drive to score some early momentum.
After a 4-yard touchdown run by Zyayre Moss brought the score to 10-6 — Madril stuffed Padres quarterback Nazareth Moses on the two-point conversion attempt — Salpointe went on a 21-0 run to close the first half as Padilla and Robinson torched the defense.
“They’re really finding their groove,” Bene said. “But it starts and ends with the defense and the big guys up front on the offensive line, allowing Mario and Bijan to make some plays.”
Added Robinson: “It really is the offensive line first, for opening up the holes. We had to keep reading the lanes and once they opened up, touchdown. After they scored, we adjusted and it was just like … score, score, score, score.”
Early in the second quarter, a Robinson 44-yard run put Salpointe inside the Marcos de Niza red zone, and Barton capped it off with a 9-yard touchdown run. The two connected on the Lancers’ next drive for the 49-yard score, as Barton hit Robinson streaking across midfield and Robinson flashed some moves on his way to the end zone.
After nearly sacking the elusive Greer twice on the ensuing drive, Salpointe forced a punt and received their final possession of the half with 1:59 left. They milked the clock and appeared to be satisfied with the lead and ready to head to the locker room with the momentum, but Padilla had other plans.
On a second-and-10 from the Salpointe 33-yard line, Padilla took it 47 yards to the 10, then capped off the drive as the half expired with a 4-yard touchdown run. For the half, Padilla had 151 yards on 16 carries.
“The line was doing a great job, they were getting to linebackers, and they were giving me holes big enough to drive a truck through,” Padilla said.
With the offense giving Salpointe the 25-point first-half cushion, the Lancers defense flexed its muscles in the second half.
Salpointe forced punts on the Padres’ first two possessions of the second half, and Rodrigo Nieto returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown to put the Lancers up 42 with just over eight minutes left.
“We knew we had to come out even stronger the second half, and that’s what we did,” Padilla said. “The defense putting points up on the board was huge, and the running clock was really big.”
— Jon Gold / Arizona Daily Star
Next week: No. 4 Salpointe Catholic (10-2) vs. No. 1 Scottsdale Saguaro (12-0) at Scottsdale Desert Mountain
- Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
After a rough first half, Cienega football bounced back in a big way to defeat Gilbert Mesquite 63-38 on Friday night (see box score below).
The No. 1-seeded Bobcats advanced to the Class 5A football state semifinals with the victory over the No. 9 Mesquite Wildcats.
Cienega will face No. 5 seed Peoria Centennial on Nov. 18 at Tucson High in the semifinal.
“We’ve got a lot of people that can do it, we moved the ball around and the kids made plays offensively,” Cienega coach Pat Nugent said. "(Mesquite's) a great defensive team and we just put up a lot of points on a really good team. We’ve got a lot of work to do against a great Centennial team.”
Mesquite had Cienega (12-0) on the ropes late in the first half, with the Wildcats down by just four points at the halftime break.
From that point on, it was all Cienega.
The Bobcats scored 42 second-half points to secure the victory, including 28 points in the decisive third quarter.
Senior running back Dakota Poe led the way offensively for Cienega with 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Poe scored a 37-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game and never let up against the Mesquite defense.
Aiding Poe was the quarterback and wide receiver combination of junior Jamarye Joiner and senior Breaben Bolton.
Joiner finished 11 of 16 for 274 passing yards. He added 83 rushing yards and scored two total touchdowns (one passing and one rushing). In addition to a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown, Bolton recorded seven receptions for 145 yards and one touchdown.
The trio of Joiner, Poe and Bolton combined to cross the goal line six times and continually converted plays of 20 or more yards against the Mesquite defense.
Junior quarterback Wade Sapergia led the way for Mesquite by throwing for 208 yards and three touchdowns.
While a struggling Mesquite defense failed to contain Cienega, Sapergia consistently put the Wildcats in a position to succeed offensively by going 21-33 under center.
Despite the large margin of victory, Cienega players and coaching staff aren’t satisfied with the team’s perfect 12-0 record or an appearance in the 5A state semifinals.
The Bobcats want the title, and are prepared to go through powerhouse Centennial to do just that.
“Honestly, (Centennial) is our age and they bleed blood,” Poe said. “They’re another high school team and we’re just going to treat them like we would treat anyone else. I don’t think we’re intimidated at all by them. They’re just another opponent in our way.”
— Roberto Payne / Special for the Arizona Daily Star
Next week: No. 1 Cienega (12-0) vs. No. 5 Peoria Centennial (11-1) at Tucson High
- Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
If you blinked in the first few minutes you may have missed Queen Creek’s senior running back Jace Koester score. That’s how fast it was and how fast Ironwood Ridge got into a 14-0 hole (see box score below).
The No. 6 Bulldogs were able to hold on to win 42-26 and advance to play Gilbert Williams Field in the semifinals of the Class 5A playoffs next Friday night. For the second consecutive year, No. 3 Ironwood Ridge finishes the season in the quarterfinals of the playoffs and at 9-3.
Queen Creek’s first score came on a 20-yard run by Koester, who came into the game with 208 carries for 1,388 yards and 15 touchdowns. He would finish with three rushing touchdowns of 20, 2, and 5 yards.
The last time these two teams met on Sept. 23, Koester ran for four touchdowns.
“They are a tremendous team,” said Koester, who had 12 carries for 113 yards and two scores at the half. “We knew they would have a different game plan tonight. I was able to slow the game down in my head and not get ahead of myself.
“We wanted to come out and play hard,” he continued. “We knew coming in we were a better team than our ranking.”
The Nighthawks adjusted to this offensive surge at the beginning of the game and closed the gap to one point by halftime. At the half, the Bulldogs led 21-20, as close as it would get all night.
“Our kids did an excellent job,” said Ironwood Ridge coach Matt Johnson. “Our ability to adjust was key. We were correcting little mistakes as we went. “
Ironwood Ridge was able to limit Queen Creek to only seven more points before halftime and put their own points on the board.
Their first score came on an 11-play, 79-yard drive that finished with a 6-yard touchdown run by Nick Brahler. At the half, Brahler had 11 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Cole Gerken connected with Garrett Billings on a 51-yard strike in the second quarter for the Nighthawks other score in the first half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs defense went to work and limited the Nighthawks to six points.
The two defining moments in the second half were a Bulldogs score with 4:47 left in the game. On a third-and-goal from the 31-yard line, somehow Bulldogs quarterback Devin Larsen scrambled and connected with Ian Woods to score, giving them a 34-26 lead.
“We were in the huddle and we told Devin, who is a sophomore, to keep calm and keep playing,” said Koester. “He found Ian, who broke all those tackles and scored.”
On Ironwood Ridge’s very next drive, Cole Gerken fumbled on his own 9-yard line.
“We went toe-to-toe with them,” Johnson said. “This is a special experience for our team. You can see there is a lot of love on this team by the tears and the hugs right now.”
PJ Brown / Special for the Arizona Daily Star
- Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Final score: No. 6 Catalina Foothills 52, No. 3 Peoria Sunrise Mountain 49 (see box score below)
What went down: At Peoria Sunrise Mountain, the visiting Falcons held on for a 52-49 win on the road to advance to the state semifinals for the first time in Catalina Foothills' history.
The big number: 21. Catalina Foothills scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to rally from behind and take down Sunrise Mountain.
Quotable: "It's a huge win for the kids, I just feel so happy for this group of seniors," said Catalina Foothills coach Jeff Scrurran. "Incredible, this was just really, really an incredible game."
Next week: No. 6 Catalina Foothills (10-2) vs. No. 2 Gilbert Higley (11-1) at Gilbert Williams Field
- Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Final score: No. 2 Gilbert Williams Field 41, No. 7 Marana 14 (see box score below)
What went down: At Gilbert Williams Field, the host Black Hawks never trailed after jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter. With the win, Williams Field advances to the state semifinals.
The big number: 35. The game was delayed 35 minutes in the third quarter after Marana sophomore Tariq Jordan went down with a head injury. Marana coach Andy Litten said Jordan was "moving around" at the hospital after losing consciousness on the field.
Quotable: "We made a lot of mistakes tonight and they capitalized, they're a good football team," Litten said. "We had trouble covering (Justise Stokes) who ran all over us but other than that our kids battled hard."
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- Arizona Daily Star
The common football parlance for the 1-2 punch that the Salpointe Catholic football team delivered against visiting Marcos de Niza on Thursday night is thunder and lightning.
What do they call the 1-2-3-4 knockout that the Lancers landed against the Padres?
Perhaps Double Thunder, Double Lightning?
Sophomore running back Mario Padilla ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns, freshman Swiss Army Knife tailback/wideout Bijan Robinson broke free on a 49-yard touchdown connection with Sean Barton and added 109 yards rushing and linebackers Anthony Madril and Cameron Tober picked up crucial quarterback sacks to lead Salpointe into the 4A semifinals with a 48-6 win over Marcos de Niza in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup (see box score below).
“We had a really good week of practice, and I was just trying to get them believing in themselves,” Salpointe coach Dennis Bene said. “Marcos is such a good team, led by a legendary coach, and I just wanted the kids to be loose and believe they could play at this level and boy they really executed tonight.”
The Lancers struck early with Padilla breaking off a 24-yard run to set up a 10-yard touchdown on the first drive, and they added a field goal after forcing a fumble on the Padres’ first drive to score some early momentum.
After a 4-yard touchdown run by Zyayre Moss brought the score to 10-6 — Madril stuffed Padres quarterback Nazareth Moses on the two-point conversion attempt — Salpointe went on a 21-0 run to close the first half as Padilla and Robinson torched the defense.
“They’re really finding their groove,” Bene said. “But it starts and ends with the defense and the big guys up front on the offensive line, allowing Mario and Bijan to make some plays.”
Added Robinson: “It really is the offensive line first, for opening up the holes. We had to keep reading the lanes and once they opened up, touchdown. After they scored, we adjusted and it was just like … score, score, score, score.”
Early in the second quarter, a Robinson 44-yard run put Salpointe inside the Marcos de Niza red zone, and Barton capped it off with a 9-yard touchdown run. The two connected on the Lancers’ next drive for the 49-yard score, as Barton hit Robinson streaking across midfield and Robinson flashed some moves on his way to the end zone.
After nearly sacking the elusive Greer twice on the ensuing drive, Salpointe forced a punt and received their final possession of the half with 1:59 left. They milked the clock and appeared to be satisfied with the lead and ready to head to the locker room with the momentum, but Padilla had other plans.
On a second-and-10 from the Salpointe 33-yard line, Padilla took it 47 yards to the 10, then capped off the drive as the half expired with a 4-yard touchdown run. For the half, Padilla had 151 yards on 16 carries.
“The line was doing a great job, they were getting to linebackers, and they were giving me holes big enough to drive a truck through,” Padilla said.
With the offense giving Salpointe the 25-point first-half cushion, the Lancers defense flexed its muscles in the second half.
Salpointe forced punts on the Padres’ first two possessions of the second half, and Rodrigo Nieto returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown to put the Lancers up 42 with just over eight minutes left.
“We knew we had to come out even stronger the second half, and that’s what we did,” Padilla said. “The defense putting points up on the board was huge, and the running clock was really big.”
— Jon Gold / Arizona Daily Star
Next week: No. 4 Salpointe Catholic (10-2) vs. No. 1 Scottsdale Saguaro (12-0) at Scottsdale Desert Mountain
- Arizona Daily Star
After a rough first half, Cienega football bounced back in a big way to defeat Gilbert Mesquite 63-38 on Friday night (see box score below).
The No. 1-seeded Bobcats advanced to the Class 5A football state semifinals with the victory over the No. 9 Mesquite Wildcats.
Cienega will face No. 5 seed Peoria Centennial on Nov. 18 at Tucson High in the semifinal.
“We’ve got a lot of people that can do it, we moved the ball around and the kids made plays offensively,” Cienega coach Pat Nugent said. "(Mesquite's) a great defensive team and we just put up a lot of points on a really good team. We’ve got a lot of work to do against a great Centennial team.”
Mesquite had Cienega (12-0) on the ropes late in the first half, with the Wildcats down by just four points at the halftime break.
From that point on, it was all Cienega.
The Bobcats scored 42 second-half points to secure the victory, including 28 points in the decisive third quarter.
Senior running back Dakota Poe led the way offensively for Cienega with 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Poe scored a 37-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game and never let up against the Mesquite defense.
Aiding Poe was the quarterback and wide receiver combination of junior Jamarye Joiner and senior Breaben Bolton.
Joiner finished 11 of 16 for 274 passing yards. He added 83 rushing yards and scored two total touchdowns (one passing and one rushing). In addition to a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown, Bolton recorded seven receptions for 145 yards and one touchdown.
The trio of Joiner, Poe and Bolton combined to cross the goal line six times and continually converted plays of 20 or more yards against the Mesquite defense.
Junior quarterback Wade Sapergia led the way for Mesquite by throwing for 208 yards and three touchdowns.
While a struggling Mesquite defense failed to contain Cienega, Sapergia consistently put the Wildcats in a position to succeed offensively by going 21-33 under center.
Despite the large margin of victory, Cienega players and coaching staff aren’t satisfied with the team’s perfect 12-0 record or an appearance in the 5A state semifinals.
The Bobcats want the title, and are prepared to go through powerhouse Centennial to do just that.
“Honestly, (Centennial) is our age and they bleed blood,” Poe said. “They’re another high school team and we’re just going to treat them like we would treat anyone else. I don’t think we’re intimidated at all by them. They’re just another opponent in our way.”
— Roberto Payne / Special for the Arizona Daily Star
Next week: No. 1 Cienega (12-0) vs. No. 5 Peoria Centennial (11-1) at Tucson High
- Arizona Daily Star
If you blinked in the first few minutes you may have missed Queen Creek’s senior running back Jace Koester score. That’s how fast it was and how fast Ironwood Ridge got into a 14-0 hole (see box score below).
The No. 6 Bulldogs were able to hold on to win 42-26 and advance to play Gilbert Williams Field in the semifinals of the Class 5A playoffs next Friday night. For the second consecutive year, No. 3 Ironwood Ridge finishes the season in the quarterfinals of the playoffs and at 9-3.
Queen Creek’s first score came on a 20-yard run by Koester, who came into the game with 208 carries for 1,388 yards and 15 touchdowns. He would finish with three rushing touchdowns of 20, 2, and 5 yards.
The last time these two teams met on Sept. 23, Koester ran for four touchdowns.
“They are a tremendous team,” said Koester, who had 12 carries for 113 yards and two scores at the half. “We knew they would have a different game plan tonight. I was able to slow the game down in my head and not get ahead of myself.
“We wanted to come out and play hard,” he continued. “We knew coming in we were a better team than our ranking.”
The Nighthawks adjusted to this offensive surge at the beginning of the game and closed the gap to one point by halftime. At the half, the Bulldogs led 21-20, as close as it would get all night.
“Our kids did an excellent job,” said Ironwood Ridge coach Matt Johnson. “Our ability to adjust was key. We were correcting little mistakes as we went. “
Ironwood Ridge was able to limit Queen Creek to only seven more points before halftime and put their own points on the board.
Their first score came on an 11-play, 79-yard drive that finished with a 6-yard touchdown run by Nick Brahler. At the half, Brahler had 11 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Cole Gerken connected with Garrett Billings on a 51-yard strike in the second quarter for the Nighthawks other score in the first half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs defense went to work and limited the Nighthawks to six points.
The two defining moments in the second half were a Bulldogs score with 4:47 left in the game. On a third-and-goal from the 31-yard line, somehow Bulldogs quarterback Devin Larsen scrambled and connected with Ian Woods to score, giving them a 34-26 lead.
“We were in the huddle and we told Devin, who is a sophomore, to keep calm and keep playing,” said Koester. “He found Ian, who broke all those tackles and scored.”
On Ironwood Ridge’s very next drive, Cole Gerken fumbled on his own 9-yard line.
“We went toe-to-toe with them,” Johnson said. “This is a special experience for our team. You can see there is a lot of love on this team by the tears and the hugs right now.”
PJ Brown / Special for the Arizona Daily Star
- Arizona Daily Star
Final score: No. 6 Catalina Foothills 52, No. 3 Peoria Sunrise Mountain 49 (see box score below)
What went down: At Peoria Sunrise Mountain, the visiting Falcons held on for a 52-49 win on the road to advance to the state semifinals for the first time in Catalina Foothills' history.
The big number: 21. Catalina Foothills scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to rally from behind and take down Sunrise Mountain.
Quotable: "It's a huge win for the kids, I just feel so happy for this group of seniors," said Catalina Foothills coach Jeff Scrurran. "Incredible, this was just really, really an incredible game."
Next week: No. 6 Catalina Foothills (10-2) vs. No. 2 Gilbert Higley (11-1) at Gilbert Williams Field
- Arizona Daily Star
Final score: No. 2 Gilbert Williams Field 41, No. 7 Marana 14 (see box score below)
What went down: At Gilbert Williams Field, the host Black Hawks never trailed after jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter. With the win, Williams Field advances to the state semifinals.
The big number: 35. The game was delayed 35 minutes in the third quarter after Marana sophomore Tariq Jordan went down with a head injury. Marana coach Andy Litten said Jordan was "moving around" at the hospital after losing consciousness on the field.
Quotable: "We made a lot of mistakes tonight and they capitalized, they're a good football team," Litten said. "We had trouble covering (Justise Stokes) who ran all over us but other than that our kids battled hard."
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