For a half, Friday nightβs game between Pusch Ridge Christian and Sabino was exactly as it was billed: a tight, tense, high-scoring game full of big plays and lead changes.
Then Pusch Ridge pulled away. The Lions scored four consecutive touchdowns to beat the visiting Sabercats 41-20 in a battle between the cityβs two Class 3A football powers. Sabinoβs high-powered offense was held scoreless in the second half following a blistering start to the game.
The teams combined for six first-half touchdowns. The Lions took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, when Bubba Mustain found Cody Rafacz for a 10-yard score. The PAT was unsuccessful, part of a trend on a blustery night on North Oracle Road.
Andres Baca punched in a 1-yard touchdown score and Sabino made its ensuing kick, and the Sabercats led 7-6 at the end of the first period. Brysen Berrios made it 12-7 in favor of Pusch Ridge with a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter.
The lead wouldnβt last long: Sabino quarterback Cameron Hackworth found Shamar Berryhill for a 54-yard touchdown pass that, following another unsuccessful kick, made it 13-12. The Sabercats then recovered a fumble, and Hackworth and Berryhill connected again β this time for a 10-yard pass that made it 20-12 midway through the second quarter.
Sabino wouldnβt score again.
Mustainβs 1-yard run and a 2-point conversion run by Berrios pulled Pusch Ridge even just before halftime. Berrios 1-yard rushing touchdown in the third made it 27-20.
Sabinoβs Cameron Hackworth high-steps past Pusch Ridgeβs Bryce Jewell during Friday nightβs game.
Shortly after Pusch Ridge retook the lead, Mustain β playing both ways β intercepted Hackworth on the Sabercatsβ 24-yard line. Moments later, Mustani found his brother Tyler for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it a 14-point game. The Lions added a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal the victory.
Pusch Ridge Christian improved to 6-1, its only loss coming in a two-day, weather-delayed showdown against undefeated Thatcher a week ago. (The Eagles remain undefeated after beating Sahuaro 57-14 on Friday). The Lions are idle next week, then will finish the regular season with games against Chandler Valley Christian, Palo Verde and Safford.
Sabino fell to 5-1. The Sabercats will host Maricopa Sequoia Pathway Academy next, then will travel to Mesa Eastmark and Thatcher before wrapping its regular season with a home game against Benson.
Joplin shines, but Marana loses shootout
Elijah Joplin threw for a season-high 377 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 66 yards and two scores, but his Marana Tigers lost a 59-58 shootout to Mesa Westwood on Friday night.
Marana led visiting Westwood 32-23 at halftime, and carried a 45-37 lead into the final period before allowing 22 fourth-quarter points.
Joplin, the Tigersβ star quarterback, completed 28 of 37 passes and finished with a quarterback rating of 114.4. Jason Wood caught four passes for a team-high 125 yards; he and Joplin connected on a 65-yard strike. Dezmen Roebuck added a team-high 11 catches for 89 yards and a score, and Jaelen Collins had four grabs for 78 yards.
One of the most prolific passers in the city, Joplin β a senior captain β has thrown for 947 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Just two of his 95 attempts have been intercepted.
Up next, Marana (3-1) will travel to Vail on Friday for a showdown with Cienega. The Bobcats (1-3) fell to Goodyear Desert Edge on Friday, 52-21.
Conde, Sunnyside blank Ironwood Ridge
Deion Conde threw for 230 yards and three scores and visiting Sunnyside denied Ironwood Ridge its first win of the season with a 27-0 victory.
Samario Garcia led the Blue Devils with 93 receiving yards on three catches, and Jose Ramirez had 68 on three grabs. Jordan Barron rushed 11 times for 65 yards.
Sunnyside (2-2) will host Tucson High next. The Badgers (2-2) fell to Catalina Foothills on Friday night, 34-14.
Photos: Pusch Ridge Christian outlasts Sabino in battle of Class 3A powers
Sabino's Jack Skaggs (24) tries to slow down Pusch Ridge's Brysen Barrios (5) by his shirttail in the third quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Bryce Jewell (1), left, and Sabino's Amonte Edwards (20) grab each other by the face masks on Jewell's sweep in the second quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Brysen Barrios (5) plunges into the end zone through Sabino's Brit Roberson (19), left, Dominik Wayne-Parsons (9) and Amonte Edwards (20) for a two-point conversion in the second quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Cameron Hackworth (1) high steps past Pusch Ridge's Bryce Jewell (1) to get the ball to the Lion one in their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Blake Reed (6) and his Lions teammates get loosened up as a late monsoon storm rolls over the field at Pusch Ridge just prior to their kick-off against Sabino, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Bubba Mustain (2) throws over his line in the first quarter of their high school football game against Sabino at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Shamar Berryhill (4) gets well behind Pusch Ridge's secondary to get the Sabercats inside the Lion five in the first quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Bryce Jewell (1) skips out of the arms of Sabino's Devon Waxwood (12) at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Amonte Edwards (20) jars Pusch Ridge's Jack Butler (9) loose from the ball preventing a reception in their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's head coach Kent Middleton watches his offense operate inside the Sabino ten yard line in the second quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Savaughn Berryhill (6) pulls down a catch in front of a Pusch Ridge defender at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Cameron Hackworth (1) can't get out of the grip of Pusch Ridge's Bubba Mustain (2) as he tries to scramble outside the pressure in the second quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's head coach Ryan McBrayer and his staff try to get a play in to the Sabercats in the third quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Tyler Mustain (11) is wide open for the touchdown catch in the third quarter of their high school football game against Sabino at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Bryce Jewell (1) slams into Sabino's Dominik Wayne-Parsons (9) and keeps him from pulling down a catch in the third quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Cameron Hackworth (1) rolls out and throws under pressure in the high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Sabino's Shamar Berryhill (4) makes the catch as Pusch Ridge's Bryce Jewell (1) tries to make up ground during their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Tyler Mustain (11) and Grayson Hesse (70) drive Sabino's Andres Baca (2) back into quarterback Cameron Hackworth (1) on the way to a sack in the second quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Tyler Drescher (8) hits Sabino's Jeremy Gigstad (81), popping the ball free and preventing the reception in the third quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
Pusch Ridge's Brysen Barrios (5) gestures after scoring the Lions last touchdown of the night in a 41-20 home win over Sabino late in the fourth quarter of their high school football game at Pusch Ridge, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2022.
