HS football: How Catalina Foothills reached state quarterfinal game

Aug. 21: Goodyear Desert Edge 41, Catalina Foothills 7

The visiting Falcons trailed 34-7 at halftime in losing their season opener to Desert Edge.

Quarterback Rhett Rodriguez scored the only touchdown for Foothills, which hosts Pueblo next week.

Aug. 28: Catalina Foothills 30, Pueblo 24

In a game delayed by a fight and the lights going out, Catalina Foothills (1-1) survived two late touchdowns by Pueblo and a back-and-forth first half to win 30-24. (See box score below). 

“I thought we played pretty good for most of the game, particularly in the third quarter and then some bizarre things happened, that’s what happens in football,” said Catalina Foothills head coach Jeff Scurran. 

Foothills lead by as much as 30-12 before Pueblo backup quarterback Daniel Vega led the Warriors to two touchdowns in the last 5:28.

“I’m happy we won, but there’s certainly a lot, a lot, a lot to learn from,” said Catalina Foothills junior quarterback Rhett Rodriguez.

After Catalina Foothills fumbled at midfield, Pueblo had the ball with 1:15 left and down by six, but they turned the ball over on downs with 48.5 seconds left, when the lights went out and the officials called the game.

“At the end we kinda got lazy and that backfired,” said Catalina Foothills senior running back Preston Kime, who ran for two touchdowns. “We just got to keep our heads up and play next week even harder.”

Last week the Falcons opened the season with a 41-7 loss at Goodyear Desert Edge.

Scurran said the loss last week was more like a scrimmage.

“We don’t even count that last game.” Scurran said. “We didn’t ask for it, that team shouldn’t be in our division.”

After Catalina Foothills got a field goal, the teams exchanged touchdowns on four drives in the first half.

Rodriguez had an eight-yard touchdown run and was 9-for-12 passing for 144 yards. He also ran for 42 yards on seven carries.

Pueblo senior running back Jorge Romero rushed for 132 yards on 22 carries.

In the fourth quarter, a brawl between the teams saw two players ejected from each team, most notably Pueblo senior quarterback Justin Pledger.

With 5:28 left, Vega connected with Romero for a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Vega was 7-for-16 passing for 92 yards.

Then about three minutes later, senior receiver Frankie Gomez caught an eight-yard pass for the Warriors.

“Coach Brandon Sanders — he coached with me here — he’s great, he’s got that thing turned around I tell you what, they got some real tough kids,” Scurran said.

James Kelley 

Sept. 4: Catalina Foothills 23, Cienega 17

After a pair of three-point losses to Cienega the last couple seasons, Catalina Foothills feels like it has evened things up.

Foothills (2-1) beat Cienega on the road 23-17, ending their 12-game losing streak to the Bobcats.

Cienega beat Catalina Foothills 24-21 last year and 13-10 in 2013.

“This is now three straight years of really hard-nosed football games,” said Catalina Foothills head coach Jeff Scurran. “It was just a good high school football game.”

Catalina Foothills junior quarterback Rhett Rodriguez ran for two touchdowns and threw another.

“It was a great win,” Rodriguez said. “So happy we won, just this is probably the best win I’ve ever had.”

Rodriguez was 17 for 24 passing for 230 yards. The son of Arizona football head coach Rich Rodriguez also ran for 47 yards on 15 carries.

“Look at Rhett, just how in control of the game he was, that’s a pretty dominant performance against a good football team in a division above us,” Scurran said. “A lot of the stuff he’s grown up with, some kids never learn over a lifetime. It’s a great gift to have a player like that on your squad.”

After a back-and-forth first half, Catalina Foothills scored the only points in the second half on a 3-yard run by Rodriguez with 10:19 left.

“These last few years we haven’t been able to get past Cienega and we wanted it really bad,” said Catalina Foothills junior defensive back Jimmy Stewart. “Everyone made big plays when we needed to and we shut them out in the second half.”

With 6:14 left, Stewart intercepted a Cienega pass at the 3-yard line.

“That was a big play, a perfect time, they were getting some momentum and that gave us all the momentum back,” Rodriguez said.

The Falcons have now one two in a row after a 41-7 loss at Goodyear Desert Edge in the season opener.

“For our defense to shut them out in the second half, it’s just really big for us, because that’s been the area where we really struggled with,” Scurran said.

Cienega senior receiver Triston Jury tallied two touchdowns, scoring on 14- and 33-yard catches in the second quarter.

On their first offensive play after the 14-yard touchdown, Catalina Foothills responded with a 60-yard scoring pass to junior receiver Bryan Beckon, who had six catches for 119 yards.

The Bobcats (0-2) featured a pair of 100-yard rushers: junior Aaron Sauls, who had 114 yards on 10 carries; and junior Nico Jordan, who had 129 yards on 14 attempts.

The win is Foothills’ first ever over the Bobcats.

“It’s just a big win for our football program, maybe one of the biggest we’ve had,” Scurran said.

James Kelley 

Sept. 11: Catalina Foothills 40, Tempe McClintock 7

At Catalina Foothills, the Falcons moved to 3-1 on the season with a dominating victory over McClintock. The opportunistic Falcons defense forced six turnovers — five interceptions and one fumble. Two of the turnovers were returned for touchdowns. Offensively, the Falcons struggled to pass the ball, as quarterback Rhett Rodriguez only attempted four passes, completing three for 36 yards. However, Foothills was able to rush for 314 yards, including 129 yards from Rodriguez.

Highlight reel

Foothills defensive back Dashiel Pudwill began the Falcons' turnover-fest with a 48-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery in the first quarter.

Player of the game

In addition to kicking four extra points, Foothills kicker/defensive back Hunter Myrdal had two interceptions and almost snared a third.

By the numbers

44. Foothills linebacker Max Michalczik's number. The defensive leader of the Falcons did not play due to illness. Coach Jeff Scurran and the Falcons players dedicated the win to Max.

He said it

"Max has been with me since the beginning and is one of the guys this team plays for. We all really wanted to come out here and get the win for Max." Catalina Foothills coach Jeff Scurran

W.P. Russell

Sept. 18: Catalina Foothills 61, Rincon/University 3

At Rincon, the visiting Falcons (4-1) scored on their first four possessions, never allowing the Rangers (1-4) to make the game interesting.

Foothills forced turnovers on the first two Rincon possessions, and turned those turnovers into two Rhett Rodriguez touchdown runs. Rodriguez finished the game with 245 yards passing to go along with four touchdowns on the ground.

Foothills junior running back Dashiel Pudwill finished with two touchdowns on the ground for the Falcons as well. Catalina Foothills has won four games in a row since an opening loss to Goodyear Desert Edge, and look to make it five as it takes on Marana next week. Rincon hopes to bounce back with a win as it travels to Safford.

Highlight reel

In the second quarter, Rodriguez kept it on his own and took off on a QB keeper, being careful to tightrope the sidelines for a 40-yard touchdown run.

Player of the game

Rodriguez. The junior QB accounted for seven touchdowns total, four coming on the ground and three through the air.

By the numbers

158. Although coming in a loss, Rincon senior running back Dahrian Harris-Mesh ran for 158 yards, constantly requiring multiple Foothills defenders to take him down.

He said it

"We've played a very difficult schedule so far, and I feel we are accomplishing our goal of getting better every week." — Catalina Foothills coach Jeff Scurran.

Mark Lawson

Sept. 25: Marana 27, Catalina Foothills 24

A third-quarter surge lifted Marana past Catalina Foothills 27-24 Friday night.

The Tigers outscored Catalina Foothills 20-3 in the third quarter to erase a halftime deficit and give the visitors a 27-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Marana quarter back Connor Leavens provided the spark for a Tigers offense that came out of halftime on fire.

“It's about the kids believing,” said Marana coach Andy Litten.” “When I went into the locker room at halftime I didn’t have to say much, they were ready to go.”

Leavens, a junior, scored on Marana’s opening drive of the second half on a 5-yard-touchdown run to bring the Tigers within three points. 

After an Elijah Fant rushing touchdown and a Caleb Reeves 12-yard touchdown catch on a fourth-and-7 play, the Tigers found themselves up 10 on a Falcons team that could only muster up a field goal in the third quarter.

Fant finished the game with two touchdowns on 144 yards rushing.

“This is a big win for our program,” Fant said. “ This is all about family. I didn’t get this win by myself tonight, it was an all-around family effort.”

Both teams struggled to get anything going offensively after an initial onslaught as holding penalties, failed third-and-longs and punts made up the rest of a first half. 

With just 7 seconds left in the first half Catalina Foothills’ Rhett Rodriguez dropped back and floated a pass to wide receiver Jimmy Stewart for a 71-yard touchdown. That play sent the Falcons into the break with all the momentum.

But any momentum Foothills had was quickly erased in the third as Marana stormed back.

“Everything is a building block for our program,” Litten said. “Every year we have progressed.”

Catalina Foothills' next game is away at Safford. Marana host Nogales.

Nick Peppe 

Oct. 2: Catalina Foothills 31, Safford 21

At Safford, the visitng Falcons closed the game with 17 straight points to win 31-21 and bounce back from their first loss since the opening week. Foothills, which lost to Marana last week, hosts Nogales last week and travels to Sabino on Oct. 16.

Junior quarterback Rhett Rodriguez passed for two touchdowns, starting with a 61-yard scoring connection with junior Bryan Beckon. Preston Kime, a senior, rushed for two touchdowns, including at game-tying 7-yard score before the Falcons took the lead for good on a 36-yard field goal.

Oct. 9: Catalina Foothills 56, Nogales 28

After a 14-14 first half, Catalina Foothills scored 42 second-half and 28 fourth-quarter points to beat section rival Nogales 56-28.

Going into the game, Foothills (6-2) was No. 12 in the AIA rankings and in second place in Division III, Section VI. Nogales was 16th and fourth in the section.

“We lose this game, and we don’t make the playoffs, so our backs were against the wall, but we came through and got a good victory,” said Foothills junior quarterback Rhett Rodriguez.

Rodriguez ran for 47 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns, going 15 for 22 through the air.

“At the end of the first half, we just started to get our momentum back, and everyone was making big plays for us, and our offensive and defensive lines really stepped up tonight and helped us to the win,” said Foothills junior receiver/safety Jimmy Stewart III, who had two interceptions.

Following an 82-yard pass to senior receiver Alan Ortega, Nogales tied the game at 7 in the second quarter when senior middle linebacker/fullback Coy Colgate ran the ball a yard for a touchdown.

On the ensuing kick off, which was moved up because of a Foothills penalty, Nogales recovered an onside kick, and the Falcons were whistled for two unsportsmanlike penalties. The Apaches’ drive started at the Foothills’ 8-yard line, and Colgate ran it into the end zone from 3 yards out.

Foothills head coach Jeff Scurran said the kickoff went only 8 yards, and the Apaches were allowed to advance it.

Scurran said Catalina Foothills put in junior receiver/defensive back Dashiel Pudwill on to the kickoff return team, and he ran back a kickoff 55 yards for a touchdown to start the fourth quarter.

Before Pudill’s touchdown, Nogales had cut Catalina Foothills’ lead to 28-21, but the score started a 28-7 run for the Falcons to finish the game.

“That onside recovery for a touchdown, that was arguably the biggest play of the game,” Rodriguez said. “That gave us all the momentum back.”

Foothills held Nogales senior running back/cornerback Freddy McCarty, who was second in Southern Arizona in rushing with 1,075 yards going in to the game, to 6 yards on seven carries.

“McCarty is an amazing running back, and we had to stop him before he got started,” Scurran said. “That’s as good a defensive front seven performance that I’ve had since I’ve been here at Foothills. We were just all over him.”

James Kelley 

Oct. 16: Catalina Foothills 3, Sabino 0

Around 7:30 on Friday night, Sabino football coach Jay Campos could be seen walking near the stadium, holding a purple umbrella in his left hand and carrying his 4-year-old daughter, Lilly, with his other arm.

No headset, no play cards and no football – at least for a little while longer.

Sabino’s much-anticipated Division III showdown against Catalina Foothills – originally scheduled for 7 p.m. – started 90 minutes late on Friday night. A series of lightning delays kept both teams in their locker rooms until around 8:15.

It was worth the wait.

The visiting Falcons battled through three sloppy, scoreless quarters before going ahead on a 32-yard field goal by senior Hunter Myrdal early in the fourth. Foothills then made three defensive stops – including one in the red zone – to knock off the unbeaten Sabercats 3-0.

“I saw it go toward the uprights but I didn’t see it go through because, at that point, I had already turned around and was running down the sideline because I knew it was going in,” Myrdal said. “I didn’t see it go through but I was just happy; that was a great feeling.”

Friday’s win for Foothills marked the second time coach Jeff Scurran has won as an opposing coach on the same field he called home for 12 seasons, building Sabino into the football power it remains. That’s part of the reason why this victory was so special to Scurran, who also coached his 2009 Santa Rita squad to a victory at Sabino.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons and they’re a good football team with a lot of pride, I know that personally,” Scurran said. “So it’s a huge win for our program in general and really one of the more satisfying wins I’ve ever had.”

Thirteenth-ranked Foothills (7-2) certainly shook up the local Division III postseason picture by upsetting the No. 3 Sabercats. Both teams have just one game remaining, with the Falcons hosting Desert View next week and Sabino playing at Marana on Oct. 30, the last night of the regular season.

“This is massive,” said Foothills quarterback Rhett Rodriguez, covered in mud. “We lose this game, we might not make the playoffs. This is the biggest win I’ve ever been a part of and it gives us a chance to win the league championship.”

Foothills forced a turnover on downs after a goal-line stand to help set up the go-ahead field goal two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Throwing from his own end zone, Rodriguez connected with junior Bryan Beckon for a big gain on the final play of the third quarter. The completion – plus a 15-yard penalty – gave Foothills the ball near midfield. Then another 19-yard catch by Beckon moments later set up Myrdal’s kick, kicking toward the west end of the field.

After that, the Falcons clamped down defensively and held on tight.

The Sabercats (7-1) drove to set up a potentially game-tying field goal of their own but sophomore Bennett Nottingham, kicking into the wind, missed from 32 yards out..

Foothills, which had only beat Sabino three times before Friday night, started to celebrate but knew the game was far from over with more than six minutes to play.

The Falcons failed to get a first down on their next possession and punted the ball right back to junior quarterback Drew Dixon and the Sabercats.

Just when it looked like Foothills had come up with a stop, Dixon rolled to his right and connected with senior Daniel Rodriguez for a 30-yard gain on fourth-and-long. That gave Sabino the ball inside the 10-yard line with roughly four minutes to play.

But four plays later, facing another fourth down at the 4, Dixon lost his grip on the ball and fumbled. He recovered it but the play resulted in a turnover on downs, giving the ball back to the Falcons.

Originally, Sabino had sent out Nottingham to attempt another game-tying field goal but, after Foothills called a time out, coach Jay Campos opted to go for the win.

“Our kicker had taken a shot in the ribs in the first quarter,” Campos said. “You saw that first field goal he tried, he just didn’t look good so I wanted to go out there and try to win the game.”

Sabino had one last possession with less than a minute to play after Foothills was unable to run out the clock. But the Falcons secured the win when senior Nick Lioy intercepted Dixon in the end zone on the second play of the drive.

“You don’t stop Drew,” Scurran said. “You contain him, and that was our plan.”

Nether team was able to do much in the opening period, as the rain and wind stopped both offenses.

It looked like Foothills was about to take a lead early in the second quarter but that plan went sour when Rodriguez was intercepted in the end zone on a fourth-down attempt.

Then the Sabercats drove all the way down to the Foothills 10, draining most of the second quarter, before Dixon was intercepted near the goal line with 35.2 seconds left in the half.

“We had several opportunities to give ourselves a chance to win and we just didn’t cash in on those opportunities,” Campos said. “It was a good lesson for us as a young team. It was the first time we faced this kind adverse situation and we didn’t respond as well as we wanted to.”

Daniel Gaona

Oct. 23: Catalina Foothills 54, Desert View 14

At Catalina Foothills, the visiting Jaguars (3-6) were unable to play spoiler to the Falcons (8-2) on their senior night. Foothills, who came into the game ranked 10th in Division III, leaned on the big plays of the offense and a solid defense all night to keep alive hopes of winning the section crown. Junior QB Rhett Rodriguez threw for 391 yards and had more touchdowns (6) than incompletions (4). Desert View looked game early on, as it recovered a Foothills fumble to set up an Alex Courtemanche touchdown reception, taking the lead on a two-point conversion. Foothills responded through the air, as junior Jimmy Stewart hauled in a 56-yard touchdown from Rodriguez. That connection proved to be a thorn in the Jaguars side all night, as the pair connected on four touchdowns. From that point on, the Falcons outscored the Jaguars 47-7 to put things out of reach. Desert View finishes the year next week against Rincon/University, while Foothills awaits their seed for the playoffs.

Highlight reel

On the last play of the first half, Rodriguez connected with Stewart on a 55- yard touchdown to give the Falcons momentum.

Player of the game

Stewart. While Rodriguez was sharp through the air, it seemed like all Stewart did was catch long touchdowns. He finished with seven receptions for 219 yards, with scores of 56, 25, 55 and 27.

By the numbers

215. Desert View's Courtemanche was a bright spot for the Jaguars, finishing with 215 yards of total offense to go along with two touchdown receptions.

He said it

"No team at any level is going to be perfect every single week. The schedule hit us a little hard in the beginning, but we are coming into our own going into the bye and playoffs." — Catalina Foothills coach Jeff Scurran 

Mark Lawson

Nov. 6: No. 8 Catalina Foothills 21, No. 9 Yuma Cibola 16

Catalina Foothills won its second football playoff game in school history in style on Friday night.

The Falcons snared a last-minute interception at the 3-yard line to hold off Yuma Cibola 21-16 in the first round of the Division III state tournament.

Falcon junior safety/receiver Jimmy Stewart picked off the Raiders with No. 8-seeded Foothills clinging to a 5-point lead and No. 9 Cibola driving.

“I’m just extremely happy right now,” Stewart said. “We haven’t won a playoff game here in so long and I know the school wanted it. Everyone was hyped for the game, everyone came out even though it was really cold and we came out and won.”

Stewart said he noticed the success Cibola was having with junior tight end Mark Walton and reacted.

“I just figured that down in the red zone, that’s where they’re going to try and get him the ball and once I saw the ball in the air, I just went and attacked and I got it,” Stewart said.

Foothills will visit top-seeded Paradise Valley next week. Paradise Valley beat No. 16 Tempe 55-17 on Friday night.

Catalina Foothills took a 21-10 lead on a 1-yard touchdown by senior running back/linebacker Preston Kime, but Cibola cut into the lead on a 6-yard pass to senior running back Jacob Durate, who had both the Raiders’ touchdowns. The Falcons foiled Cibola’s 2-point conversion though, meaning the Raiders would need a touchdown on their last drive.

“I couldn’t be happier, I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” said Foothills junior quarterback Rhett Rodriguez. “It’s probably the greatest moment of my life.”

After Cibola’s last score, the Foothills offense drove down the field but stalled in the Raider red zone and settled for a 27-yard field goal try on fourth-and-inches, which missed.

“I’m really kind of kicking myself because I had a play and usually when I have a play, I go for it,” said Foothills coach Jeff Scurran.

Rodriguez ran for 107 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and passed for 144 yards and a touchdown, going 9 for 19.

After the game, Foothills students stormed the field to join the Falcon football players in celebration.

“It just feels great to have the support of the school behind you,” said Stewart, who had two catches for 34 yards.

Foothills junior safety Nick Lioy intercepted a Cibola pass in the end zone at the end of the second quarter.

“Eight and nine (seeds), two very evenly-matched football teams,” Scurran said. “They adjusted, we adjusted, they adjusted, we adjusted and it was just a good, entertaining high school football game. I’m glad my hair’s already gray.”

James Kelley