FOOTBALL REWIND

Lightning delays, lightning plays, shocking wins, and great relief work defined the second week of Arizona high school football.

A look at Week 2:

Biggest takeaway

Phoenix Pinnacle is the real deal. Watch out Chandler. This might be the year the Pioneers break through and win it all at the highest level. When you lose quarterback Spencer Rattler and running back Matt Goodlow in the first half and still put up big points, as Pinnacle did in a 56-34 win over Phoenix Mountain Pointe, it shows how well-equipped coach Dana Zupke is for adversity. Junior J.D. Johnson passed for 286 yards and three TDs, completing 14 of 18 in relief work. Kaleb Covington and Amelec Juntunen filled in nicely in the backfield. And the Pioneers never skipped a beat. This is going to be a dangerous team in late November. No wonder, shirts are being worn with the date Dec.1on the back. That's when the state title game will be played and this appears to be Zupke's best chance at taking his team to Sun Devil Stadium. Pinnacle (2-0) has scored nearly 60 points in its first two games against quality opponents. The 59 points against Perry weren't an aberration. Pinnacle is deep at every skill position with lots of speed and the defense can make plays. Pinnacle hasn't turned the ball over in two games and forced four turnovers against Mountain Pointe.

Best moment

After their bus broke down, Phoenix Arcadia football players were stranded on the northbound side of State Route 51 at 32nd Street at about 5:15 p.m. Friday. Passersby were honking their horns. Players were posting Instagram stories. They tried to stay in the shade. But with athletic trainers already at Glendale Deer Valley getting ready for the game, there was no water to stay hydrated as they waited 45 minutes for the next bus to take them to the game. When they finally showed up, they had 25 minutes to get taped, dressed out and warmed up before playing. Arcadia ended up winning 40-21, behind four total touchdowns from QB Kadin Beler ("He's our Cam Newton," coach Kerry Taylor said) and RB Paxton Earl (216 rushing yards, including a 75-yard TD). "We turned a negative into a positive," Taylor said. "We had fun with it. People were honking their horns at us. We stayed positive. I told the guys, 'We've prepared for this moment. We're ready for adversity.' '' Taylor's impact in his first year has been immediate. The Titans (2-0) – after being outscored 472-29 and going 0-10 last year – have outscored their first two opponents 89-21.

Best resiliency

Mesa Desert Ridge avenged last year's 6A first-round playoff loss to Avondale Westview with a 23-17 overtime win, led by running back Lucas Wright, a 6-foot-2, 210pound senior, and his 147 yards and three rushing TDs. His game-winner came after Desert Ridge held Westview scoreless in its first possession of overtime. With the combination of transfers and injuries, Desert Ridge went into the game with what would have been 11 starters not playing. After an injury to QB Cooper Schmidt against Red Mountain last week, the Jaguars (1-1) changed their offense from spread power to Wing T power in a week, and receiver Aiden Lee was moved to running back. "1993 really does exist at Desert Ridge in 2018," coach Jeremy Hathcock said.

Best follow-up

After Gilbert Highland built a 28-7 lead over visiting Chandler Hamilton on Friday night on the strength of Kohner Cullimore's132 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards and three TDs, the Hawks went home with four minutes left in the half because of lightning. The players and coaches returned at 7 a.m. Saturday to resume the game at 9. The first four minutes – or final four minutes of the half – had a total of three touchdowns, two by Highland, including a pick-six. Highland built its lead to 49-14 before Hamilton scored twice for a 49-28 final. Coach Brock Farrel loves his team's passion to play for each other and said his offensive line played great. "I think Highland is going to be a team that is good all the time," Farrel said. "We've got consistently committed kids who want to be great. It's a pleasure to coach them. It's still Week 2 but it's the start you want. I think the kids are still hungry. They're not satisfied by what they did last year (8-4 and reaching state quarterfinals in Farrel's first year, a year after going 3-7)."

Best scorer

Teams that thought they could key on Jake Smith this year because of how hard graduation hit the 13-1 Saints from last season better find other ways to try to stop him. The Texas commit has scored 11 of the Saints' 12 touchdowns as Notre Dame has opened 2-0. He had six touchdowns, including a 95-yard run in the final quarter of Friday's 41-27 win at home against Phoenix Sunnyslope. "I think we try to do our best in terms of moving him around on the field," coach George Prelock said. "You just have to be aware. As the game goes on, kids get tired. He's in great shape and plays hard. It's tough to continue to key on him. As the game goes on and he gets a feel of things, he gets stronger. They pinned us on our 5-yard line. We essentially gave it to Jake. They were set up inside with the outside guy shifting down, thinking we were going off-tackle. He made one cut and was gone. That's the last touchdown he scored." Against Sunnyslope, Smith had two long rushing TDs, three receiving TDs and a kick return for a TD. And he played some defense. "He sets high standards for himself," Prelock said.

Best rebound

The 6A Premier Region. After going 1-4 in Week 1, the five Premier teams were a combined 4-1 with only Hamilton losing. Chandler Basha (2-0) already has won as many games as it did all of last season under new coach Chris McDonald. Phoenix Brophy Prep, under new coach Jon Kitna, is much improved on defense. After losing 7-0 to Peoria Liberty – a very good team new to 6A – Brophy beat Surprise Shadow Ridge 38-7. Chandler took care of Queen Creek 49-21 after opening with a 35-13 loss at Corona (Calif.) Centennial, a top national team. Perry bounced back from the Pinnacle loss with a 42-7 drubbing of Mesa Mountain View.

Taking a hit

Queen Creek American Leadership's football field had problems, so the school had to move its home game against two-time defending 2A champion Thatcher to American Leadership-Ironwood. American Leadership, the 3A team that two years ago won the state championship, then got dominated by the Eagles in a 30-10 loss. Thatcher might have its best team in the past three years. But this is going to be ALA coach Rich Edwards' most challenging season with his program placed on probation by the Arizona Interscholastic Association. There will be no playoffs this year. Thatcher's physical brand wore on ALA, as defensive end/tight end Cole Motes continued to pressure the quarterback and corral the running backs. Thatcher intercepted three passes.

On the rise

What is going on in Douglas? The Bulldogs took home the Copper Pick from Bisbee with a 54-7 rout that was over in the first quarter after three touchdowns. Douglas had 274 rushing yards, led by junior John Ballesteros' 87 yards on 10 carries. Five different players averaged at least seven yards a carry. The defense forced seven turnovers and the offense punted just once. The Bulldogs are suddenly 2-0, outscoring their opponents 109-13, after going 0-10 last year in James Fitzgerald's first year as head coach.

Under the radar

Phoenix Trevor Browne lost a heartbreaker to Phoenix Union district rival Phoenix Carl Hayden, 49-48, after being unable to make a stop on fourth down from its 6 with 40 seconds left. But junior RB Vincent Wagner is becoming an unstoppable force for the Bruins in the first two weeks. After rushing for 453 yards and seven touchdown on 19 carries in a 60-32 win over Yuma Kofa in Week 1, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Wagner had six more rushing TDs and 270 rushing yards in just three quarters (he didn't play the first quarter against Carl Hayden). "He's a very gifted athlete," coach Jerry Zimmerman said. "He's hard runner. He doesn't shy away from any competition. There are going to be some tougher games for us, but he's up for the challenge. He just needs to keep working hard."

Around the state

❚ Tucson Salpointe junior Bijan Robinson, ranked as the top running back in the state this season by azcentral sports, had 301 yards and four TDs in the first half at Mesa Dobson before that game was halted by lightning with the Lancers leading 56-7. The game was called with Salpointe ruled the winner.

❚ Phoenix Arizona Lutheran opened with a 24-6 win over 2A Pima, as Brandon Garcia ran for 115 yards and Tyson Biciolis had 180 yards and a TD on 6-of-8

❚ Whiteriver Alchesay running back Tyreck Cosay was the definition of a workhorse, carrying the ball 45 times for 211 yards in a 14-6 win over Lakeside Blue Ridge in 3A.

— Richard Obert