Oct. 30: Tucson High 27, Sunnyside 20 (OT)
At Sunnyside, Tucson overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and a feisty Blue Devils homecoming crowd to beat the Blue Devils 27-20 in overtime on Friday night.
The win gives the Badgers the section championship and an automatic spot in the state tournament.
Tucson (7-3) entered the game at No. 15 in Division II. Sunnyside (6-4) came in No. 10 and will find out Saturday if it made the state tournament.
“At halftime we didn’t make a single adjustment,” said Tucson coach Justin Argraves. “We told the kids you just have to do your job, remember everything you’ve worked on and clean it up.
“And they responded.”
It was star senior captain DeAndre Williams who shone brightest for the Badgers when his team needed it the most — making numerous big plays late in the game for Tucson.
Williams caught a screen pass from Jorge Flores and exploded for a 75-yard touchdown to give Tucson its first lead of the game, 17-12, with 7:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Before that play the Badgers really couldn’t get anything going. Sunnyside’s defense was fired up and feeding off of the energy of the fans at a packed Sunnyside stadium for homecoming.
“We came out a little too tight, a little tense, but it’s a big game and we just had to settle down,” Argraves said.
The Blue Devils forced Tucson into four punts and two turnover-on-downs before Tucson was able to finally add a field goal early in the third quarter.
Sunnyside reclaimed the lead when quarterback Nick O'Hagin found Gabriel Soto for a 21-yard touchdown pass, putting the Blue Devils ahead 20-17 with 4:49 left.
After a Chris Holguin 32-yard field goal tied the game at 20, Sunnyside had one last opportunity to win it on a third-down play from Tucson’s 31–yard-line with three seconds remaining in regulation.
O'Hagin dropped back and launched a Hail Mary in the corner of the end zone, but the pass was intercepted by Williams to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, Tucson used three plays to go 10 yards and scored on a 4-yard run by Jeff Lockwood to put the visitors up 27-20.
Sunnyside had one final opportunity to tie or win.
The game came down to a third-and-goal when O'Hagin scrambled away from pressure and threw a pass that was intercepted by Williams to seal the game.
After the game's final play, Tucson fans rushed onto the field and celebrated with the team in a moment that can only be described as pure jubilation. The Badgers are going to the playoffs and will wait to see who they will face Saturday morning at a viewing breakfast at the school.
“We knew tonight was a win-or-go-home situation and playing such a well-coached team like Sunnyside to be able to pull of the win and do it in dramatic fashion like we did is special.”
Nick Peppe
