Queen Creek tops Campo Verde, remains undefeated
Queen Creek burst onto the scene after its Week 1 upset over Chandler Hamilton, and the Bulldogs have done nothing but pad their case that they do belong.
They did just that again in their 21-16 victory over one-loss Gilbert Campo Verde on Friday, as the Bulldogs (8-0) extended their undefeated campaign.
Queen Creek quarterback Devin Larsen tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 133 yards on the night.
For both sides, the offensive fireworks were limited early on.
Larsen started the game with a nice drive, but Campo defender R.J. Dayao made the red-zone interception.
Neither team scored in the first or second quarter until Campo's Brandon Hall returned a blocked punt 50 yards for the game's first score with 5:20 left in the half.
But Larsen led a steady, clock-consuming drive on the ensuing possession that finished with a 5-yard TD pass to tight end Jake Ayala to make it 7-7 at the break.
Two minutes into the third quarter, Larsen connected with Ayala yet again — this time for 11 yards — to put the Bulldogs ahead 14-7.
But the Campo Verde offense responded with its first score when quarterback E.J. Galvez found Kyle LeClaire on a 45-yard pass. It would have tied the game, but the kick was blocked.
Three minutes later, Larsen converted his third TD pass of the night, hitting Garrett Duke on a 19-yard hookup to make it 21-13.
The Coyotes (6-2) got the final drive of the quarter, which culminated in a 25yard field goal for Campo kicker Jackson Passey to make it a 5-point game heading into the fourth.
The two offenses traded possessions until late in the quarter when turnovers played a pivotal role.
With Campo Verde manning a lategame comeback, running back Jett Brown fumbled the ball and the Bulldogs recovered. But just a few plays later, Larsen threw his second interception and the Coyotes had a spark of life.
Campo drove inside Queen Creek territory but could not convert on a fourthdown pass play with 33 seconds left.
Standout performer
Devin Larsen: He had two interceptions, but the 6-foot-5-inch, 205-pound quarterback more than made up for it with his three TD passes and 133 yards in the air.
More standouts
» Dante Coleman (Queen Creek): The senior linebacker forced two fumbles on defense with effective striptackling.
» Jake Ayala (Queen Creek): The tight end only caught two passes, but both were touchdowns via Larsen.
Star watch
» Jett Brown (Campo Verde): The Coyotes' talented senior tailback rushed for 128 yards but wasn't always the premier back for each offensive series.
Stat of the game
In quarters 1, 2 and 4, there were a total of 14 points scored. In the third quarter, the teams scored 23 combined points.
Up next
Both teams are off next week.