Rio Rico 24, Walden Grove 9
At Walden Grove, Rio Rico (3-3) kept its playoff hopes alive with the road win.
Quarterback Sean Fanning ran for two touchdowns and Ricky Perez threw for another as the Hawks relied on a tough defense that kept the Red Wolves' offense stagnant for the majority of the evening.
Both teams scored on their first drive of the game. From there, it was a defensive battle. Perez's pass to Kevin Romo on a trick play gave Rio Rico the lead for good as the Hawks defense never allowed another score after the first drive.
Rio Rico's defense controlled the game as they stopped whatever the Red Wolves threw at them. Walden Grove's only offensive score occurred when receiver Chris Suarez scored on a 42-yard pass from quarterback Stephan Brennan. Walden Grove brought their score to nine after a botched snap on a Rio Rico punt attempt went out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety.
Highlight reel
Rio Rico ran a trick play in the second quarter when quarterback Sean Fanning threw the ball immediately to his left to Ricky Perez. Perez, who was behind the line of scrimmage, then launched a 45-yard pass to Kevin Romo for the score.
Player of the game
Perez made big plays on both sides of the ball for Rio Rico. He had a lay-out interception in the second quarter, which he immediately followed up with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Romo.
By the numbers
3. The amount of times Rio Rico attempted its trick play. The first and third attempts failed, while the second attempt earned the Hawks a touchdown.
He said it
"We knew we needed (a win) to stay in the playoff picture. I thought our defense had their best game of the year." — Rio Rico coach David Rastovski
Kyle Hansen
