Gridiron Weekly (Week 2): Horizon 24 Sunrise Mountain 15
Huskies embracing underdog role in second straight win
WEEKLY BLOG: 9/10/21
In a short span of just two plays with less than four minutes to go in the game, Friday night's football game at Horizon against Sunrise Mountain went from a close contest to a comfortable victory for the home team.
Sunrise Mountain cut Horizon's nine-point lead down to two earlier in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs forced a punt and got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. But, on fourth down, their pass attempt was knocked down by junior Jack Bodemuller.
With the Huskies taking over at their own 40-yard line, senior quarterback Skyler Partridge put the game on ice with a keeper and scampered the distance for a two-score lead once again. That would prove to be the final scoring as Horizon won the game 24-15.
Horizon (2-0) has earned signature victories for new head coach Andy Litten in each of its two games. First came a 13-point fourth-quarter rally to give the Huskies their first win over Pinnacle in 15 tries. Friday night, the Huskies welcomed the defending-5A champions to Scottsdale.
"We have kids that work their tail off and are doing a great job," Litten said. "These last two weeks, we've faced two really good offenses. We want our kids to play fast."
The teams exchanged punts on their opening drives and then Horizon got on the scoreboard first with a pass from Partridge, who after rolling to his right, and shedding a tackler, threw a strike to senior Ethan Tinsley.
The first half saw a total of five turnovers. One of those came via a tipped pass from Horizon that ended up in the arms of De'Mykal Anderson. The junior cornerback returned the pick to the 10-yard line. With the short field, Sunrise Mountain (1-1) took advantage of the turnover. On third-and-goal, senior quarterback Hunter Kronengold showed run, but then passed it to 6-2 receiver Micah Johnson, who ran a slant for the touchdown. A trick formation on the PAT resulted in a successful two-point conversion run by Braden Harvey and an 8-7 lead.
With less than two minutes to go in the half, the Mustangs went for it on 4th-and-15 from midfield. It was not only intercepted by Bodemuller, but returned to the Sunrise Mountain 30-yard line. While the ensuing Huskies' drive stalled, kicker Grady Gross booted a 43-yard field goal with just 12 seconds left in the half. Gross earned a roster spot in this winter's Under Armour All-American Game.
Sunrise Mountain rushed for 156 yards in last week's win over Cienega, but found it difficult to move the ball on the ground and had just five rushing yards in the half (54 for the game).
Playing with the lead instead of from behind like the opener against Pinnacle, Horizon extended its advantage on its first possession of the third quarter. Partridge threw a quick screen to Cole Linyard that went for 53 yards. Two plays later, it was the quarterback opting to keep it and increase the Huskies' lead to 17-8.
Horizon had another chance to add more to its lead. Junior running back Wesley Lambert showed patience in finding a hole and then burst through it for a 58-yard gain. However, a field goal attempt was blocked by Elijah Portela of the Mustangs.
The Huskies have shown they have a defense to be reckoned with in these first two games. Bodemuller played big with pass deflections, an interception, and tackling Mustang ball carriers for losses. A safety, he's been part of a no-fly zone for a secondary that is also shutting down the run.
"I couldn't be more happy with the way we played tonight," Bodemuller said. "The ability to step up and make these insane tackles. I can't say enough about (Dylan) Murray and Smitty (Landon Smith). Those are my brothers."
Sunrise Mountain closed it to 17-15 with just under seven minutes left when Kronengold fired a pass to a diving Harvey in the end zone. It was the second straight game with two TD passes for Kronengold. Harvey had six catches for 106 yards.
But that would be as close as the Mustangs would get. Horizon held on downs in the pivotal drive and then forced a punt to close out the game.
Defensively, the front four on Horizon's defense were stout with Matthew Klopfenstein, Daniel Santiago, Kamron Faraji, and Tyler Rottkamp.
The Huskies rushed for 210 yards with Lambert going for 117 and Partridge finishing with 80.
"They didn't play anybody over the top," Litten said. "So our runs were big plays."
The quarterback run was only used a few times in the game. However, it's something that opponents have to keep in mind when playing the Huskies.
"They were accounting for everybody in their Man defense," Litten said. "It's in our back pocket for nights like tonight."
Litten, who was previously a head coach at Marana, was the offensive coordinator at Hamilton last year.
"I told the kids, I'm unhappy with being the underdog," Litten said. "We've embraced the wins and said 'We're here'."
Sunrise Mountain was coming off a 49-6 win over Cienega which included a 28-0 first quarter. This time, the Mustangs spent most of the night chasing a deficit.
"They have a good front seven," Sunrise Mountain head coach Steve Decker said. "It seemed like we were always trying to go uphill. Third and long. A few penalties. A lot of dropped balls. We just have to be cleaner and better."
The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Mustangs, who had not lost since Nov. 6 (vs. Desert Edge). Next week is the resumption of a big rivalry in North Peoria with Liberty (2-0).
"We've got to be ready for next week," Decker said. "Hopefully, we can bounce back and get things in order."
Next week brings another challenge in Horizon's difficult schedule. The Huskies will head to Goodyear to face Desert Edge (2-0).
"Same attitude," Bodemuller said of the challenge ahead. "We have something to prove this year."
|
Sunrise Mountain |
0 |
8 |
0 |
7 |
15 |
|
Horizon |
7 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
24 |
First Quarter:
Hor - Ethan Tinsley 10 yard pass from Skyler Partridge (Grady Gross kick), 4:36
Second Quarter:
SM - Micah Johnson 6 yard pass from Hunter Kronengold (Braden Harvey run), 8:50
Hor - Gross 43 yard FG, 0:12
Third Quarter:
Hor - Partridge 26 yard run (Gross kick), 10:39
Fourth Quarter:
SM - Harvey 17 yard pass from Kronengold (Easton Black kick), 6:57
Hor - Partridge 60 yard run (Gross kick), 3:11
Support our sponsors:
Make sure to follow ArizonaVarsity.com on social platforms for more daily content!