This past Friday I drove out to North Scottsdale to watch two of the top teams in the 6A battle it out in a big-time week 1 matchup between the #2 Pinnacle Pioneers vs #3 Mountain Pointe Pride. With Pinnacle’s star quarterback Spencer Rattler leaving the game late in the 1st quarter due to an ankle injury, Junior quarterback JD Johnson stepped up and took over the reins for the Pinnacle offense. JD Johnson put on a show throwing for three touchdown passes and leading the Pinnacle offense to numerous scoring drives as the Pioneers cruised to a 56-34 victory over the Pride, moving to 2-0 on the year.

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JD Johnson lit it up on Friday night. Coming into the game Johnson had only thrown 4 passes in his entire career. Johnson looked like a 3 year starter playing calm and confident, pin-pointing his passes with tremendous accuracy. Johnson’s three touchdown passes included a touchdown where he rolled-out left, quickly reversed his body to set his feet, and threw a laser with defenders in front of him to Jack Jepson for a touchdown. This is one of the hardest throws for a right handed quarterback to make and Johnson made it look easy. The entire state should know who JD Johnson, he’s the real deal.

In just over a quarter and a half of football, Matt Goodlow had already accomplished the touchdown hat-trick. Goodlow ran for two scores and took a 57-yard screen pass to the house before leaving the game with a knee injury. Goodlow has a rare combination of speed and power that only the best-of-the-best running backs possess. Goodlow is a phenomenal football player, and when he comes back full strength, he’ll be a nightmare for defensive coordinators.

Pinnacle’s class of 2020 is a special group. Representing that class defensively is linebacker Mac Franklin. Franklin was a big part in Pinnacle’s ability to stuff the run especially in the 2nd half. The Junior does a really good job of shedding blockers and having a nose for the running back. In the 2nd quarter, Franklin blitzed around the edge coming up with a huge sack for the Pinnacle defense.

Amelec Juntunen is one of the best two-way players in the state. Defensively, Juntunen made plays sideline-to-sideline chasing down ball carriers and receivers. His ability to get to the quarterback on blitzes caused havoc all night. In the 2nd half, Juntunen picked up a fumble and returned it into Mountain Pointe’s red zone that lead to a touchdown. Offensively once Goodlow went down, Juntunen took over the running back duties and proceeded to rush for two 2nd half touchdowns.

Dominique Davis shined on Friday night. Davis consistently got behind Pinnacle’s secondary hauling in receptions on deep pass plays. Davis’ lightening speed was on full display as he hauled in a deep ball from quarterback Ahmen Williams torching the cornerback on his way for a touchdown. Davis finished the night with 5 receptions for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Jakim McKinney is one of the most explosive backs in 6A. McKinney has tremendous vision and anytime he sees a little crease, he steps on the gas with his track speed. McKinney finished the night with two rushing touchdowns including a touchdown run in the red zone where he bulldozed through multiple defenders for the score.

Spencer Rattler is one of the best football players in the country. When a player like that goes down the offensive production usually takes a hit. There was none of that on Friday night when JD Johnson stepped in. The chemistry Johnson had with receivers Kaleb Covington, Marcus Libman, and Jack Jepson was a sight to see. Every timing route Johnson threw on the money and he showed great pocket awareness throwing the ball out quickly when facing pressure. With the talent and depth Pinnacle has offensively, the Pioneers will be a force in the 6A this season.

Mountain Pointe has to limit the penalties. False starts to open up drives, holding calls in crucial 3rd downs, off-side penalties, these are drive killers. This is something Mountain Pointe has to fix heading into their next game.

Mountain Pointe scored right before the 1st half ended, grabbing some momentum heading into the locker room. After receiving the 2nd half kick-off, Mountain Pointe fumbled on the first series; a turnover that lead to a Pinnacle touchdown. Mountain Pointe’s offense had three turnovers in the 2nd half alone. That can’t happen especially when you’re playing a team like Pinnacle. The Pride have a really talented football team. They must protect the football moving forward to be successful.

Another great player in the loaded class of 2020 is Pinnacle’s 6’3 220 pound TE/DE Shane Sunday. Sunday was a force on the defensive line on Friday night coming up with big stops in the run game. Sunday rushed hard off the right edge coming up with a huge 2nd half sack to halt a Mountain Pointe drive. Sunday is also a great pass catching tight end.

“I was a little nervous at first but I’ve been preparing for this moment for so long. When I went in and threw the first pass it really calmed me down.” -JD Johnson

“We have each other’s back. We always play for each other, when one guy falls down we always step up and play for them.” -Amelec Juntunen

Pinnacle (2-0) @ Horizon (0-2) on 8/31

Mountain Pointe (0-1) hosts Mesa Mountain View (1-1) on 8/31