Bears offense comes up big in final drive
WEEKLY BLOG: 11/17/23
Basha took ALA-Queen Creek's best shot in the fourth quarter. The seventh-seeded Patriots stormed back from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 31 with just over six minutes remaining against the second-ranked team and defending Open Division champion.
The Bears punched back with guts and persistence. Then, they delivered the final knockout blow.
Basha quarterback Demond Williams Jr. connected on an 11-yard pass to Darron Dodd with just 94 seconds remaining to score a hard-fought win in a 38-31 thriller in an Open Division quarterfinal.
Basha head coach Chris McDonald believed his team had the edge with his playmakers. The Bears just had to be able to match ALA-Queen Creek when it came down to the basics of size and strength.
"(Our focus was) to play at a physical level," McDonald said. "We had the athletic advantage. You have to make sure you're just as physical where it doesn't negate the difference in speed."
ALA-Queen Creek ended its campaign with an 8-3 record. This was the Patriots' third consecutive trip to the Open Division bracket, but first as a 6A member.
The win was Basha's 9th straight and the team will take a 10-1 record into next Saturday's semifinals. The 6A Premier Region champions will face third-seeded Centennial at Dobson HS in Mesa at 6 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the Bears and the Coyotes since the first round of the 2015 Division I playoffs.
Dual-threat QB Williams Jr. delivers signature performance
With 44 varsity starts (38-6 record) and an Open state championship already on his resume, there isn't a lot Williams Jr. hasn't done. He started this year's playoff run with a stat line of 27 completions in 30 attempts for 376 yards and four touchdowns. But, that's not all. He was also the Bears' leading rusher with 109 yards on 27 carries and a TD. The 376 yards passing was a career high and the rushing total put him over 1,000 in a season for the first time.
It's been a year filled with close finishes for Basha. The Bears' lone loss came back in Week 2 by a single point to Highland (who is still alive in the other half of the Open bracket). Since then, BHS has registered four wins by a touchdown or less with those coming against Saguaro, Hamilton, Chandler, and now ALA-Queen Creek.
On Basha's opening drive, the Bears showed their aggressiveness by going for it on fourth-and-two from the ALAQC 26-yard line. Senior running back Corey Chisley picked up the first down and got it to the 15. From there, Williams Jr. rolled right and connected with Dodd on the right sideline. He stepped through a couple tackles and darted into the end zone for the game's first points.
Later in the quarter, Williams Jr. lined up in shotgun from the 4-yard line and followed his blockers to the left corner of the end zone for his 18th rushing touchdown of the season (and 40th of his career). That put the Bears up 14-7.
Basha made it 17 unanswered points to end the half. In the two-minute offense, Williams Jr. completed a long pass to freshman Noah Roberts, who gained an extra 10 to 15 yards by dragging tacklers. The 35-yard play set the Bears up at the 7-yard line. The drive was capped off with a touchdown pass to Gio Richardson giving him 30 for the year.
The Bears led 24-7 at the half and Williams Jr. had completed 18-of-20 passes for 222 yards. He maintained that 90 percent pace in the second half as well. Basha had four possessions in the first 24 minutes, with each lasting at least nine plays, and it scored points on all of them.
But after the Patriots battled back to tie it, Williams Jr. had to show that senior leadership with a scoring drive that could be the start to a title defense.
Basha started at its own 20-yard line with 6:30 to go. The Bears faced a fourth-and-two at the 18-yard line with just over three minutes left. A field goal by their sure-footed kicker, Timothy Tynan, would give them the lead, but they opted to go for it. Williams Jr. ran left, appeared to get stood up, but stretched the ball just enough to get over the imaginary line for a first down.
"We already had them pinned back deep in their territory," McDonald said. "If we didn't convert, they would still have to go 50 yards to kick a field goal. I just asked D. I said 'Let's put the ball in your hands and let's let you do what you do.' He's the best player in the state of Arizona."
"I got hit and I knew I didn't get forward yards," Williams Jr. said. "When they picked me up, I just extended the ball and they tried to poke it so I was going back and forth until we got the first down."
After that, the Bears were bleeding the clock, straying from their normal fast-paced no huddle offense to give ALA-Queen Creek as little time as possible. On third-and-seven from the 11-yard line, Williams Jr. rolled left and found Dodd on the left sideline for about a five yard pass. This time, there were no defenders to step away from and he took it in for the go-ahead score. It was the same play as the first touchdown of the game, only in reverse.
"They were bringing pressure up the middle," McDonald said. "We wanted to get him out of the pocket. Rondo (Dodd) ran a great rub route. Our No. 1 receiver ran a fantastic snag that opened Rondo up."
"We ran it a couple times and I felt it had been open the whole game," Williams Jr. said. "We just had to make sure we executed."
Defense steps up while shorthanded
Basha's regular season finale against Perry ended with a victory, but it was a costly one. Two players were ejected and unable to play in the next game by AIA rule. That left starters Miles Lockhart (an Ohio State commit) and Dante Bruley unavailable. Also missing were the Bears' defensive coordinator and another assistant coach.
Cooper Georgvich started in Lockhart's place and did well. Other players that had good nights were Trey Knox, who had a key pass breakup on a third down to force a punt, Kaden Williams, who was on the coverage on ALA-Queen Creek's final play on fourth down while trying to stage a second comeback, and Brody Jones, who had a sack.
But anchoring that defense was middle linebacker Eli Cramer-Cronin. The sophomore came into the game leading the Bears in tackles (with 91).
The Patriots' final drive started at their own 20-yard line with a run for no gain (tackle by Cramer-Cronin) and then an incomplete pass (with pressure forced from Cramer-Cronin and Blue Dantzler).
"We knew they were going to try to take a shot," Cramer-Cronin said. "We were in our flush game, which is containing the quarterback. We were in our DB defense, so we had more defensive backs on the field.
Cramer-Cronin acts as a spy for the quarterback as ALA-Queen Creek quarterback Enoch Watson can also take off and run (nine carries for 65 yards).
"The whole defense stepped up," Cramer-Cronin said. "There's not one guy that outshines everyone. Everyone is doing it, so give the credit to our coaches. We have great coaches."
ALA-Queen Creek did gain one first down on that final drive, but by failing to gain much yardage on first and second downs, it was left with a lot to convert.
"We wanted to keep the ball in front of us," McDonald said. "It puts the pressure on them. We can't sit around and get upset about it (having players and coaches suspended). It was someone else's opportunity to step in and help the team win."
Video Highlight
It came in the third quarter with Basha leading 24-14. University of Arizona commit Williams Jr. went deep to senior Mason Arhin from the Patriots' 39-yard line. The play became a little more controversial with the way the final score turned out. Did the ball hit the ground? You'd have to go frame by frame and there's no replay in Arizona high school football anyway.
A valiant comeback for ALA-Queen Creek
Trailing 24-7 at the half, the Patriots needed a spark and they got it in the quickest way possible. On the second half kickoff, ALA-Queen Creek threw a backwards pass to Taylor Searle and the senior housed it for a touchdown.
After the long pass to Arhin, ALAQC faced a 17-point deficit again midway through the third quarter. The Patriots battled back with their ground game moving the chains and picking up yards with runs from Watson and running back Diego Morales.
With the bigger lead, Basha played with three down linemen. ALA-Queen Creek picked up on that and called more runs until the Bears countered with a five-man front.
On fourth-and-two from the 17-yard line, receiver Jayden Williams took the direct snap and pitched it to Watson, who ran right and scored a touchdown.
Immediately after that, Patriots' kicker Samuel Hunsaker successfully pulled off an onside kick that looked like it had been hit with a wedge and went about 12 yards. Taking advantage of the great field position in Basha territory, ALA-Queen Creek got to the 20 and it was fourth down again. This time, however, putting the points on the board was the right option. Hunsaker made good on a 37-yard field goal (his 11th of the season) to make it a one-score game.
The Patriot defense played a role in the comeback as well. Facing pressure on all sides from Brody Michael, Ethan Henson, and Aaron Carlson, Demond Williams Jr. backpedaled and got rid of the ball. But it was picked off by Jonah Shaver and the offense came back on the field with the ball at the Basha 32-yard line. Watson hooked up with Jayden Williams for a 28-yard gain and Morales punched it in from the 1 making it a tie game and sending the packed visitors' stands into a frenzy.
"The boys play hard," ALA-Queen Creek head coach Ty Detmer said. "They've got a lot of pride. They really came out in the second half with energy and belief that they could do it."
This was Watson's first year at ALA-Queen Creek. He transfered from Coconino over the summer and later committed to BYU. Watson had 29 touchdown passes for the Patriots this season.
"It's pretty remarkable to come in and learn an offense like we have," Detmer said of Watson. "He won the team over pretty quick with his infectious attitude and always upbeat manner. He made a ton of plays for us this year."
There will be more returners next year for the Patriots. This year, the team not only got moved up and had to play a 6A schedule, it was rebuilding (or is it reloading?). A total of 19 starters from last year's team graduated and had to be replaced.
Upcoming opponent
Basha will face a Centennial team with a reputation as a physical defense. The Coyotes (10-1) defeated Desert Mountain 24-3 on Friday. Centennial has shut four opponents out this season. McDonald faced Centennial while he was head coach at Maricopa in 2016 and 2017.
"They've been a juggernaut since I've been a head coach in high school," McDonald said. "Their culture is a very tough one. Very hard-nosed kids, well-coached. Athletes that can make plays. We've got to buckle up when we play a team like Centennial."
First Quarter:
Basha - Darron Dodd 15 yard pass from Demond Williams Jr. (Timothy Tynan kick), 8:09
ALAQC - Taylor Searle 15 yard pass from Enoch Watson (Samuel Hunsaker kick), 5:04
Basha - Williams Jr. 4 yard run (Tynan kick), 0:28
Second Quarter:
Basha - Tynan 21 yard FG, 5:01
Basha - Gio Richardson 7 yard pass from Williams Jr. (Tynan kick), 0:22
Third Quarter:
ALAQC - Searle 85 yard kickoff return (Hunsaker kick), 11:43
Basha - Mason Arhin 39 yard pass from Williams Jr. (Tynan kick), 7:19
ALAQC - Watson 17 yard run (Hunsaker kick), 1:50
Fourth Quarter:
ALAQC - Hunsaker 37 yard FG, 10:58
ALAQC - Diego Morales 1 yard run (Hunsaker kick), 6:39
Basha - Dodd 11 yard pass from Williams Jr. (Tynan kick), 1:34
