NW Christian set for rematch in 3A
Phoenix Northwest Christian will look to avenge its only loss of the season against Yuma Catholic in the 3A state title game.
The rematch is on Friday at Gilbert Campo Verde High School. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
As the top two seeds in their conference playoff bracket, No. 1 Northwest Christian (11-1) and No. 2 Yuma Catholic (11-2) have routed each of their three playoff opponents by more than 30 points per game. The Crusaders of Northwest Christian are on an 11-game win streak, while the Shamrock have won seven straight.
The game’s outcome won’t constitute an upset because both have been dominant against their competition all season.
Almost a quarter of Northwest Christian’s roster is comprised of seniors, molded by longtime head coach David Inness long before they entered high school.
“At Northwest, most of these guys are lifers who have been there from seventh grade and up,” David Inness said about the team’s camaraderie. “I’ve known these kids forever. So, out of the 20 seniors, they pretty much feel like they’re my kids.
“It’s a tight group and they know the right switches to push.”
Yuma Catholic is coached by Rhett Stallworth, who returned this season after a two-year hiatus from the team. Stallworth expects the 3A title game will be different from their first meeting in Week 2.
“That first game was very sloppy on both sides, and I think it went either way,” Stallworth said. “Just like this game will be. It’s just going to come down to execution and turnovers.
“In big games, people get frazzled and you have to cut down on the distractions.”
The Shamrock offense is led by junior running back Ean Chavez (103.6 yards per game, 37 touchdowns, and 1,347 scrimmage yards). In their 3A semifinal game, Chavez provided the bulk of the scoring as he went for 284 yards and had six touchdowns in Yuma Catholic’s 75-43 victory over Tucson Sabino.
“That’s the key because Chavez is hard to stop,” David Inness said. “We’ve got to get him off his feet. He’s really hard to bring down one-on-one.”
The other two-thirds of Yuma Catholic’s offense is pushed by senior quarterback Gage Reese (66 percent completion rate, 4,513 yards passing, 347.2 yards per game, 62 touchdowns) and senior wide receiver J.R. Henderson, the team’s leading receiver (28 receptions, 157.6 yards per game and 2,049 yards receiving.)
3A championship game
Friday, 7 p.m. at Gilbert Campo
Verde High School
No. 1 Phoenix Northwest Christian (12-1) vs. No. 2 Yuma Catholic (11-2)