Ground game keys second half Firebird comeback
WEEKLY BLOG: 9/24/21
Friday night's buildup of the Chaparral-Saguaro rivalry was complete with a packed crowd in Scottsdale, no shortage of media members and camera crews, and a fan base excited to not only be inside stadiums again, but able to see the two neighborhood schools compete against one another.
After falling behind 20-7 at halftime, Chaparral staged a comeback, gained the lead, and then had to hold off a challenge from the Sabercats. The result was a 27-26 victory for the home team and a third straight victory.
The win was the Firebirds' first in the rivalry since 2013. Saguaro won the previous three meetings in 2014, 2018, and 2019. The game between the schools was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Leading 21-20 midway through the fourth quarter, wide receiver and halfback Grady Hickey took a handoff, found a hole, and sped 89 yards down the left sideline to expand the lead.
"It was inside zone and I just bounced out," Hickey said. "The hole opened up and I just took it."
Hickey sees the Firebirds' offense getting better with each game.
"We definitely are," Hickey said. "We have other people stepping up."
Chaparral head coach Brent Barnes made a decision that surprised many after the Hickey touchdown. With 5:45 remaining and the score at 27-20, he opted to go for two and a two-score lead. The conversion attempt failed and Saguaro no longer needed a touchdown and a two to force a tie.
Saguaro (2-1) responded with a 55-yard drive and scored on a three-yard run by sophomore Jaci Dickerson with 2:22 and no more time outs left. Rather than kick the point and hope his Sabercat defense could force overtime, head coach Jason Mohns opted to go for the lead.
Quarterback Ridge Docekal was stopped on a keeper, but that wasn't the way it was supposed to go down.
"We had some momentum," Mohns said. "We had a two-point play we put in this week, practiced all week long, and then didn't run it. We got all scrambled up and didn't get the guy in motion we needed. Ridge fought like hell to get in there."
With Chaparral hanging on to a 27-26 lead, the Firebirds weren't able to bleed out all 2:22 of the clock. CHS ran a pair of kneel downs, suffered a quarterback sack, then took a delay of game letting all of the 35-second clock run out. There were still nine seconds left. A punt sailed out of bounds at the Chaparral 45-yard line with four seconds left and Saguaro had one last chance. The Hail Mary pass was just short of the end zone and intercepted by Miles Vandenheuvel. The Bird Cage, Chaparral's jubilant student section, answered the pick by exhaling and storming the field.
It started out with a frenetic first quarter. Saguaro hit on a pair of pass plays from Docekal to sophomore Jaedon Matthews for 48 yards and then a touchdown pass to a diving Jo Jo Clark, who showed athleticism in getting a leg down before reaching the back of the end zone.
Chaparral responded with a 44-yard pass from senior quarterback Brayten Silbor to Lukas Garvey. He found that connection working as Garvey had five receptions in the first half. The TD pass was the 10th of the season for Silbor (who would add one more).
"They were not honoring the tight end position," Silbor said. "There were a lot of holes we saw on film and we just wanted to utilize that."
Saguaro increased its lead on defense as Thomas Decesaro and followed a posse of blockers down the left sideline for a 82-yard runback to give the Sabercats a 14-7 lead after a quarter.
On its next possession, Saguaro drove from its own 40 and, when it reached the 3-yard line, brought in backup QB Cole Goodwin. The junior scored easily on a keeper, but the extra point was blocked to make it a 20-7 score.
The most glaring statistic from the first half was the 15 rushing yards the Firebirds had (on just five attempts). Getting physical was something the coaching staff addressed in the locker room.
"The message at halftime was 'Hey, let's get a good drive together, we can score," Barnes said. "It's a one-score game and then the game's on."
The good drive didn't happen right away as Chaparral threw three incomplete passes and punted. The play to kick start the momentum would have to come on defense. And it did.
Saguaro looked like it was going to boost the lead and maybe put it out of reach as Matthews was on his way down the sideline. Senior cornerback Davondre Bucannon not only got there in time, he knocked the ball loose and through the end zone for a touchback.
Buoyed by the change in momentum, Chaparral was able to get its run game going. Jamarei Ashby-Phan had five carries for 38 yards on the ensuing drive and he bolted into the end zone from one yard out to make it a one-score game.
Chaparral (3-1) took its first lead the next time it had the ball. Gavin Higley pulled in a pass from Silbor in the middle of the field. The extra point gave the Firebirds a 21-20 advantage.
Hickey finished the game with 96 yards rushing and 82 yards receiving (on five catches). He said his route running has been his biggest improvement since the preseason.
Saguaro will have another tough opponent next week as Salpointe (3-0) visits Scottsdale. Mohns said the team was plagued by similar things as its last game two weeks ago against ALA-Queen Creek (a 20-14 win).
"It's too many self-inflicted wounds," Mohns said. "We had way too many mistakes in the second half to beat a good team."
Chaparral will host O'Connor (1-2). The Eagles were off on Friday night and have already faced Basha and Chandler.
With last year's rivalry game not being played, it was the first meeting with Saguaro for many of Chaparral's players. It's a week that includes not wearing yellow and crossing out S's. Silbor was the starting quarterback in the 2019 game and can appreciate what it means to win against the school five miles south.
"It shows what we can do," Silbor said. "That's a great team. Tonight was a building block. They all played in their first really big game and they handled it well."
First Quarter:
Sag - Jo Jo Clark 13 yard pass from Ridge Docekal (Michael Ortiz kick), 8:54
Chap - Lukas Garvey 44 yard pass from Brayten Silbor (Aysa Hamid kick), 8:01
Sag - Thomas Dechesaro 82 yard interception return (Ortiz kick), 4:30
Second Quarter:
Sag - Cole Goodwin 3 yard run (kick blocked), 9:49
Third Quarter:
Chap - Jamarei Ashby-Phan 1 yard run (Hamid kick), 4:44
Fourth Quarter:
Chap - Gavin Higley 23 yard pass from Silbor (Hamid kick), 11:53
Chap - Grady Hickey 89 yard run (pass failed), 5:45
Sag - Jaci Dickerson 3 yard run (run failed), 2:22
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