Spotlight game
Tempe, which hasn’t gone undefeated since 1996 when it captured the state championship, improved to 9-0 with a 38-26 Division III victory over host Phoenix Moon Valley (8-1). Senior quarterback Emanuel Gant, without leading receiver Quntion Garrett, passed for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score. Gant needs 27 passing yards to become the state’s all-time leading passer. The state record is 9,645, set by current Cal quarterback Luke Rubenzer at Scottsdale Saguaro from 2010 to 2013. DaVonte Williams Dorsey ran for 97 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter alone before missing the final quarter with an injured ankle.
What we learned
After Chandler, Chandler Hamilton, Phoenix Brophy Prep, Phoenix Mountain Pointe, Phoenix Pinnacle and Mesa Desert Ridge, there appears to be a big drop-off in Div. I. As long as Pinnacle senior quarterback Brian Lewerke’s broken finger on his throwing hand holds up like it did in a brilliant performance Thursday, passing for five touchdowns in a victory over Phoenix Horizon, Pinnacle is in the title hunt.
On the rise
Florence (6-3) moves into the Div. IV rankings for the first time on the heels of three consecutive wins, starting with an emotional victory three weeks ago over San Tan Valley Combs. It was a year ago during the Combs week that head coach Steve McKane died from sudden heart failure. His father, Bill, took over that week, leading the Gophers to an overtime victory. The elder McKane has been leading the team ever since. The players are reminded of their former coach every game when they touch Steve’s hat before leaving the locker room to take the football field. It is a tradition that now is fueling them toward a state-playoff drive. Florence was ranked No. 13 in the MaxPreps-fueled playoff seedings before beating Scottsdale Coronado 61-20 on Friday. It finishes the regular season this week against 8-1 Coolidge.
Making a move
Mesa Red Mountain kept its slim Div. I playoff hopes alive in the most dramatic fashion, beating Mesa Mountain View 30-28 on Devon Farnsworth’s 39-yard field goal with 1.7 seconds left. Red Mountain (3-6) was 17th in the MaxPreps playoff rankings and Mountain View (3-6) was 16th coming into the game. Red Mountain, which has played a brutal schedule, gambled after freshman quarterback Lance Lawson led a late drive, capping it with a 5-yard scoring run to close to within 28-27. Coach Ron Wisniewski elected to go for 2 with 24.7 seconds to play, but Lawson was stopped 2 yards short of the end zone. Red Mountain recovered the onside kick, and Lawson moved his team into position to win it. Lawson ran 22 times for 106 yards. He also threw a touchdown pass. Red Mountain may need to beat 8-1 Mesa Skyline in Friday’s finale to make the playoffs. Mountain View finishes Thursday against 8-1 Mesa Desert Ridge in what appears to be a mustwin for Mountain View.
Under the radar
While much of the talk in Div. IV this year centered on the rise of Chandler Seton Catholic and fall of Show Low and Lakeside Blue Ridge, Snowflake has taken off, especially in October. For the first time since 1990, Snowflake beat both Blue Ridge and Show Low in the same season. And it beat them badly. Snowflake beat Blue Ridge 50-10 on Oct. 3 and defeated Show Low 41-21 on Friday night. Snowflake erupted for 27 secondquarter points after trailing 7-0 to Show Low in the first quarter. Snowflake has clinched the Section V championship and should pose as a serious threat to Seton in the playoffs.
» Top-ranked (Div. I) Chandler (8-1), behind Bryce Perkins’ 11 of 12, 260 yards, three touchdowns effort, dominated Chandler Basha 55-10 in a Div. I game that puts Chandler in solid position to lead either the top or bottom half of the playoff bracket as a 1 or 2 seed.
» No. 2 (Div. II) Peoria Centennial rolled up a 41-0 halftime lead and beat Surprise Willow Canyon 58-6, as Isaac Steele passed for four touchdowns and Dedrick Young ran for 115 yards on eight carries.
» Scottsdale Saguaro, the No. 1 team in Div. III, won its 22nd consecutive game, scoring nine touchdowns on 20 plays in the first half of its 70-14 rout of Gilbert Higley. Byron Murphy caught six passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns, Kare’ Lyles completed 11 of 13 for 292 yards and five touchdowns, and Christian Kirk had five carries for 147 yards and three touchdowns.
» Top-ranked (Div. IV) Seton scored 48 points in the first quarter and rolled past Chino Valley 73-0, as Antonio Campanella scored four rushing touchdowns on seven touches.
» No. 1 (Div. V) Yuma Catholic (9-0) had four defensive touchdowns, including Alex Olsen’s 100-yard interception return, in a 56-7 win over Wellton Antelope.
» Javian Roebuck had 200 yards and four touchdowns rushing, and the defense made a last decisive stand in Avondale La Joya Community’s 36-29 Div. II victory over Tolleson.