Sept. 25: Pusch Ridge Christian 34, Cholla 28
Pusch Ridge Christian scored 20 points in the second half to hold off visiting Cholla 34-28 on Friday night. Now the the Lions want more.
The teams were tied at 14 at halftime and the Lions survived a late rally by Cholla, which scored 14 points in the fourth quarter (see box score below).
“Cholla’s a great team, they had a 3-1 record coming in, but we have some growing up to do as a team,” said Pusch Ridge coach Troy Cropp.
Pusch Ridge scored six points in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
“We didn’t have our best week of practice, a lot of guys had been sick, including me, but we still worked hard as a team and everyone was able to come together, especially in the second half,” said Pusch Ridge senior quarterback Cody Cropp.
Pusch Ridge (4-1) opened up the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back/linebacker Tamerat McLeod on its first drive.
Cholla responded with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown by Armando Vasquez.
This is Pusch Ridge’s first season in Division IV.
“I think it’s a big win, moving up this division,” McLeod said. “This is a big win for us, but we still have to improve.”
In the second half, Cholla quarterback Bobby Vega Rodriguez scored two touchdowns. The senior passed for 134 yards and ran for 80 on 21 carries.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of good teams coming up,” Troy Cropp said. “It was a good win for us, but we need to get a lot better.”
In the third quarter, Pusch Ridge scored on a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Edwin Lovett.
Then in the fourth, McLeod scored his third touchdown of the game on a 30-yard run.
“I really did nothing, just run through the hole that they set up for me,” McLeod said.
McLeod ran for 103 yards on 11 carries and Pusch Ridge senior James Raica ran for 124 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.
Cody Cropp said the difference in the second half was that Pusch Ridge realized how important the game was.
“I think we just realized we needed this game, that losing this game was not an option if we wanted to go to the playoffs,” he said. “We really wanted to show that we had the skill to compete in Division IV and we really do.”
Next week Pusch Ridge faces local Division IV power Sahuarita, a matchup the Lions were already looking forward to.
“Next week will really truly show us where we are,” McLeod said. “Sahuarita’s going to bring it and we will bring it, too.”
James Kelley
