Mason Bray and the rest of his Saguaro teammates could not have asked for a better run through the playoff bracket.

The Sabercats' senior quarterback survived an incredibly difficult schedule (three Open teams and a Southern California powerhouse that went 11-1), and even missed two games in the middle due to injury. But, Saguaro finished it in the right way as Bray was sensational in his final game, completing 20-of-22 passes with three for touchdowns to help lead the 'Cats to a 40-20 victory against Red Mountain in the 6A Conference championship game on Saturday afternoon at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

Saguaro (9-5) was crowned a champion for the 14th time in school history, and 13th time in the past 18 seasons. This was the team's first gold ball that is marked with a 6A designation on the front. Just two years ago, Saguaro was the Open winner and last year, the Sabercats were the Open runners up.

Red Mountain (7-7) hung in there in the first half, trailing just 21-14 at the break, and was getting the ball to begin the third quarter. On second-and-10, the Mountain Lions' quarterback was sacked by Elias Johnson and Garrett Martin setting up a third-and-long. Following a punt, Bray went deep on first down and Jaci Dickerson was left wide open. He got to the 14-yard line after a 68-yard completion, the Sabercats finished off the drive with a TD pass from Bray to Kamden Segall, and the lead was two scores. Red Mountain never got closer.

Red Mountain came in averaging 150 yards per game on the ground. The Lions gained 96 yards. . . but also lost 60 due to seven tackles for a loss, which included five sacks. The net result was 34 carries for 36 yards. In Red Mountain's first touchdown drive, it went 38 yards in nine plays with all of it coming via the run. Unfortunately for the Lions, Saguaro was able to contain it as senior linebacker Trey Morrison had 11 tackles and junior Owen Pimbert added nine. Johnson and Christian Nunnally each had 1.5 sacks.

Also, in a "fun with numbers", you can't overlook how balanced Saguaro's offense was. The Sabercats finished its last offensive possession with a 55-yard touchdown run from Jacob Brown. That gave Saguaro 210 rushing yards to go with its 210 passing yards.

In its first 19 plays, Red Mountain ran the ball 17 times and passed just twice (one completion for three yards). Understandably, on second-and-10 with the Lions on their own 17-yard line, Saguaro's defenders probably weren't expecting a long pass. But, that's what they got. Simon Lopez caught the Sabercats with a deep ball to senior Gunner Moore and the receiver did the rest to even the score at 14 in the second quarter.

Bray was the backup quarterback in the Sabercats' 2022 season and was rarely used (nine pass attempts). He had to battle with a transfer from Southern California during spring ball, which attracted a lot of attention. Ultimately, Bray won the job (the transfer transferred back) and the senior was accurate all season (71 percent completion rate). In Saguaro's five-game winning streak to end the year, Bray completed 90-of-113 passes (79.6%) for 11 touchdowns.

In Saturday's game, Bray completed his 20 passes to four different receivers with three of them (Dickerson, Reiss Rinaldi, and Segall) scoring TDs. He played all four years at Saguaro and even mixed in a season of varsity basketball during his junior year.

"There was a lot of adversity this year. We managed our way through it. We learned about each other and just tried to stay focused on one day at a time. These seniors did a great job this season." - Saguaro head coach Zak Hill, who was in his first year as head coach with the Sabercats.

"Throughout the season, we had a really hard schedule. It prepared us for the postseason. Once we got to the postseason, we really turned it on." - Saguaro sophomore WR Kamden Segall

"It feels good. Just setting a good example for my guys and hopefully, they do the same thing next year." - Saguaro quarterback Mason Bray

"It says a lot about this group and my coaches," Red Mountain head coach Kyle Enders said of the team's run through the playoffs after finishing 4-6 during the regular season. "They're bought into what we're doing. Nobody folded when we were losing those games. We knew we had a rebirth when the playoffs were in front of them. I'm so proud of them."

First Quarter:
Sag - Jaci Dickerson 17 yard pass from Mason Bray (Bo Hampton kick), 11:02
RM - Isaiah Savoie 1 yard run (Kai Evans kick), 3:34
Second Quarter:
Sag - Reiss Rinaldi 21 yard pass from Bray (Hampton kick), 11:55
RM - Gunner Moore 83 yard pass from Simon Lopez (Evans kick), 3:21
Sag - Jaedon Matthews 17 yard run (Hampton kick), 1:22
Third Quarter:
Sag - Kamden Segall 2 yard pass from Bray (run failed), 6:12
Sag - Jacob Brown 4 yard run (pass failed), 1:00
Fourth Quarter:
RM - Bode Wagner 11 yard pass from Lopez (kick failed), 9:14
Sag - Brown 55 yard run (Hampton kick), 1:42

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