HIGH SCHOOL REWIND

Spectacular plays, big moments, critical decisions, statements.

Let’s take a look at what we learned during Week 8 of the Arizona high school football season:

Biggest takeaway

Decisions are tough, and Phoenix Mountain Pointe coach Rich Wellbrock will be second-guessed for not bringing senior kicker Ben Abercrombie onto the field to kick what would have been a chip-shot field goal at the end of the first half and what would have been about a 45-yard field goal try at the end of the Pride’s 28-27 loss to rival Phoenix Desert Vista. Mountain Pointe went for it both times and came away empty. On the first, Wellbrock felt the right play was called. The pass to the flat, however, was snuffed out at the 10. On the latter, Wellbrock didn’t think the team was in good enough field-goal range. Abercrombie’s missed extra point after a Pride touchdown in the second half came back to haunt the Pride. But it wasn’t all Abercrombie’s fault. The snap was a little off and Abercrombie had to alter his stride into the kick. This was the third game the Pride lost at the end. It was held out of the end zone from 3 yards out in a 21-14 loss to South Jordan (Utah) Bingham and gave up an 80-yard scoring drive in the last two minutes in a 29-27 loss to Queen Creek.

Biggest statement

Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep senior receiver/running back/Wildcat quarterback Jake Smith might be at the top of the Player of the Year conversation after what he did to help rally the Saints to a 51-35 victory at Scottsdale Horizon. It was the team’s biggest quality win of the season and showed how Smith can change a game when down 28-15 and he is put in to play Wildcat quarterback for the first time in his career. Smith was practically unstoppable. He ended up running for four touchdowns and catching a long scoring pass on a trick play. “We’ve never done it and Jake had never run it,” coach George Prelock said of Smith taking direct snaps. “It was something we started working on. We were waiting for the right time to pull it out. Horizon does a great coaching job. They bracketed him and eliminated him at receiver. We thought, ‘Let’s put him in the backfield, along with (Dominick) Mastro.’ It paid dividends.” On the trick play, Smith took the snap, handed it off to Mastro, who flipped the ball back to Jake Farrell, the regular quarterback, who was lined up in the slot. Running a wheel route, Smith caught the pass in stride from Farrell for the touchdown. Smith, who has committed to Texas, has 14 rushing touchdowns and 16 receiving TDs during the Saints’ 8-0 run. They’ve won 23 consecutive regular-season games, despite losing a large amount of experience from last year’s 13-1 team that lost its only game in the 5A final to Peoria Centennial. “Jake said, ‘I always wanted to be a quarterback,’ ” Prelock said. “He said, ‘I was waiting forever to do Wildcat stuff.’ “Smith was 1 for 1 passing, completing a 25-yard pass that Prelock jokingly told Smith may have gone for a touchdown had it not been under-thrown. “He laughed about it,” Prelock said.

Best bounce back

A week after losing to five-time defending state champion Scottsdale Saguaro (38-21), Goodyear Desert Edge defeated Glendale Cactus 33-22 with wide receiver Jihad Marks playing both offense and defense for the first time. Marks had two interceptions on defense, taking one back for a touchdown. He also returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score. Desert Edge (5-3), which gets a week off before facing winless Glendale Deer Valley on Oct. 19, proved that it has a chance to be a final-four team in 4A. One of its losses early in the season was to unbeaten Tucson Salpointe Catholic (28-21). Its other loss was to Goodyear Millennium (24-20), which has proven to be a quality 5A team at 5-2. “Our defense played great and our offense continues to improve and show flashes of what we can do,” coach Jose Lucero said.

Biggest breakthrough

Chandler Arizona College Prep won its first home game in school history, defeating Surprise Paradise Honors 27-21. It was also the Knights’ first win of the season in seven tries. Arizona College Prep, which plays in 3A, is only in its second year as an AIA football program under coach Myron Blueford. “I’m happy for the boys and our fans,” he said. “We travel pretty well but nothing feels better than winning at home. I think we will look at this game as the catalyst for success in the future. We are so young and talented but need to learn how to win. This was a big step in that direction for our players. They were happy to win for sure, but our leaders quickly started talking about next week. Watching the maturation of our program is pretty awesome.” Sophomore QB Mark Chavez, who lost his starting job after struggling early in the season, has thrown for 1,040 yards and 10 TDs with one interception since returning as the starter. His favorite targets have been Bryan Dyson and Bryce Chen. Dyson, a sophomore, had 24 catches for 678 yards and eight TDs, heading into the Paradise Honors game. Chen, a freshman, had 14 catches for 164 yards before Friday.

Biggest upset

Eloy Santa Cruz’s 27-15 2A win over Phoenix Arizona Lutheran (6-1) looked stunning because the Dust Devils had lost four in a row and five of their first six games. But Santa Cruz’s tough schedule prepared it for this. It lost by only one to maybe the second-best team in 2A, Eagar Round Valley, and was coming off a gauntlet of three opponents in a row with Morenci, topranked Thatcher and Phoenix Christian. “They were in playoff mode and we didn’t respond,” Arizona Lutheran coach David Peter said. “Plus, our turnovers were killers.” Was this a needed wake-up call? “I hope it wakes us up, myself and staff included,” Peter said. “It was kind of like our Benson and PC losses last year. Unfortunately, needed it.”

Best comeback

Prescott QB Austin Clark injured his foot in last week’s 28-16 win over Flagstaff Coconino, a game in which he threw only one pass and ran only eight times. “It was touch and go whether he would play,” coach Cody Collett said. “He gutted it out.” Clark had his best passing game in a 26-21 victory over Prescott Bradshaw Mountain, throwing for 203 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. And he moved the Badgers in position for two Bryce Peters field goals that were the only points scored in the second half after Bradshaw Mountain held a 21-20 lead. This win puts the Badgers in the driver’s seat to win the Grand Canyon Region as the only unbeaten team at 3-0. They still have to play 5-2 Cottonwood Mingus, the last game of the regular season. Region champs in 4A secure automatic state playoff berths. This was the first loss by Bradshaw Mountain (7-1, 3-1).

Biggest score

Page beat Fort Defiance Window Rock 94-0 in a 3A North Region game. But it wasn’t even a school record. According to a report by the Arizona Daily Sun, Page beat Kayenta Monument Valley 102-0 in 1974. The newspaper reported that there was running clock by the time Page had a 42-point lead, 10 different Page players scored touchdowns and the defense scored four TDs with three of those coming on interceptions. Page (6-1) came into the game ranked No. 4 in 3A by the AIA/MaxPreps playoff formula. The Sand Devils are looking to make a statement in the playoffs. But they’ve had enough quality wins -- 42-21 over Payson, 22-12 over Winslow, 22-15 over Chandler Valley Christian -- to merit attention and to make sure nobody takes them for granted. This 94-0 win followed a 66-0 rout of Tuba City.

Around the state

Playing in his first game after obtaining a permanent restraining order against the AIA from Superior Court, Scottsdale Saguaro senior receiver/back Marqui Johnson caught two passes for 64 yards and a TD in a 42-7 4A win over Tempe Marcos de Niza.

Phoenix Brophy Prep (6-2) was feeling pretty good about itself before Chandler sent a message that it has a long way to catch up to the two-time defending 6A champion Wolves, who dominated in a 56-7 rout that included two defensive touchdowns. Senior RB DeCarlos Brooks had an 86-yard scoring run and QB Jacob Conover threw two TD passes to Brayden Liebrock.

Peoria Centennial, No. 1 in the Super 10 since Week 2, sent another message that there may not be anyone in 5A that can challenge with a 49-0 rout of Phoenix Sunnyslope. Nobody since the season opener has scored in double digits against the Coyotes. In the 4219 win to open the season against Queen Creek Casteel, Casteel’s points didn’t come until after falling behind 42-0. Centennial finished the regular season against Peoria Sunrise Mountain but may not get competition until the playoffs with Gilbert Williams Field perhaps being its biggest threat.

For the first time since it began playing football in the late 1990s, Chandler Hamilton has lost five regularseason games, falling to Chandler Basha 35-28. Hamilton has a bye before finishing against two of the best teams in the state -- Gilbert Perry and Chandler.

Michael Densmore recorded his state-leading 17th sack in Winslow’s 50-0 win over Holbrook.

Week 9 Game of the Week

Peoria Liberty will see how ready it is for a 6A championship run, facing senior quarterback Spencer Rattler and Phoenix Pinnacle. Rattler is the state’s all-time leader in passing yardage.