Owls win thriller with TD in final minute
WEEKLY BLOG: 10/30/20
It's been a long time since Agua Fria or Willow Canyon have been in a position to battle for a region crown in late October. The teams staged an exciting game with a breathtaking finish as Agua Fria rallied with a 75-yard drive in the game's final three minutes to pull out a 27-21 victory Friday night in Surprise.
Senior quarterback Tristen Sanchez-Clark lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone where Dylan Griffith pulled it down for a 20-yard touchdown with just 27 seconds remaining.
"We work that two-minute drill all the time and we have confidence in our pass game," Agua Fria interim coach Jim Shields said. "But, we have a heck of a run game."
Shields is serving as the head coach on the field while George Martinez has been away from the team this year recovering at home from an illness and keeping himself safer. Martinez has been inputting a game plan in during the week for the team to practice and has been following along remotely.
This gives the Owls one more reason to fight hard on Friday nights.
A week ago, Agua Fria (3-2 overall, 2-0 5A West II Region) ran the ball on more than 80 percent of its plays as Sanchez-Clark was out with a muscle strain in his shoulder. The Owls started off the same way as junior running back Vonte Trimble went 57 yards with his first carry of the game. Angel Soto, a junior who had three touchdown passes in a win over Kellis on Oct. 23, started and completed his first pass attempt of the game to Camden Weeg for a 13-yard touchdown. The pass was Soto's fifth TD of the season.
Agua Fria had a chance to expand that lead later in the first quarter as Allen Can recovered a fumble during a sack of the quarterback at the Willow Canyon 16. However, the Owls were stopped on downs at the 1-yard line.
Willow Canyon (3-2, 2-1) had just three yards of offense in the first quarter, but was an opportunistic team. The Wildcats took advantage of good field position after a short punt at the Agua Fria 39-yard line and benefited from a pair of personal fouls (on the same play) to get deep in the red zone. Senior quarterback Daniel Redmond tied the game with a 2-yard keeper.
Each team turned the ball over three times in the game. The only one resulting in points for the opposition came in the second quarter when Willow Canyon linebacker Javen Santos recovered a fumble at the Agua Fria 22. On fourth-and-goal from the 3, Willow went for it and sophomore running back Vance Cooper put the 'Cats ahead, 14-7.
Sanchez-Clark relieved Soto and put together a scoring drive at the end of the half. The athletic, dual-threat QB reeled off a 30-yard run to get the Owls close. Then, after dropping back to pass from the 9, he scrambled and got around the right edge for a touchdown.
The score wasn't tied at the half, however, because Willow Canyon not only blocked the extra point, it blocked a field goal attempt in the closing seconds of the quarter. That preserved a 14-13 lead for the hosts at the break.
In the third quarter, each team was playing with its second quarterback of the game and were finding it difficult to get into a passing rhythm. The score remained 14-13 heading into the final period.
Willow Canyon increased its lead to 21-13 as Cooper got around the right edge and sprinted down the sideline for his second touchdown of the night (and eighth of the season).
Cooper, coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, rushed for 85 yards on 18 carries.
"He's just a tough kid," Willow Canyon head coach Justin Stangler said. "He works hard and he's just a football guy."
It was after that when Sanchez-Clark got rolling. He had three straight completions to reach the Willow Canyon 15-yard line. Then, he stepped back to pass and saw an opening up the middle. The 6-foot, 175-pounder bulled up the middle and broke a few tackles to score his second touchdown of the night.
Because of the previous missed extra point, Agua Fria needed to go for two for the tie, but the pass fell incomplete and the Wildcats clung to a 21-19 advantage.
Willow Canyon crossed the 50 on its next drive, but lost Cooper after he was tackled on a short carry. Cooper walked off the field slowly with assistance and suffered a sprained ankle. The Wildcats soon punted and Agua Fria had it on its own 25 with 3:09 remaining.
It took less than a minute for the Owls to advance the ball into Willow territory and to the 35-yard line. Agua Fria had a pass that resulted in a gain to the 20 erased due to a penalty. Penalties almost did the Owls in as they accumulated 13 for 137 yards in the game.
Needing a big play, Sanchez-Clark delivered with a 30-yard pass play to Griffith to reach the 20-yard line with just 35 seconds remaining to set up his last heroics.
"I was all focused," Sanchez-Clark said. "That final drive was just crazy."
The Owl quarterbacks were just 4-of-19 until the last two drives when Sanchez-Clark finished the game completing his last five passes.
"We weren't clicking in the beginning of the game," Shields said. "Tristen came in, was a little rusty, but settled into his own like he always does."
Shields said the Owls need to improve on special teams, play all four quarters, and reduce the penalties.
Weeg is a do-everything player for Agua Fria. He entered the game leading the team in tackles with 51 (and added 14 more in this one). He mans the middle linebacker position, lines up as a tight end or wide receiver, punts, and handles the place kicking duties. He put three of his four kickoffs into the end zone (and even one through the uprights).
It was a heartbreaker for Willow Canyon, which could have sewn up the region title with a victory. It would have been the Wildcats' first in its 16-year history. There are still scenarios in which WCHS can take region, but it would require an Agua Fria loss and a three-way tiebreaker.
"I thought our guys gave great effort," Stangler said. "We never quit."
The Wildcats have a long road trip next Friday to Casa Grande to face Vista Grande (1-4). It will be an environment where the team has to create its own energy as visiting fans won't be allowed to attend.
"We'll get after it on Monday," Stangler said. "We're going to regroup and get our game plan together. Hopefully, get some guys healthy."
Willow Canyon played without one of its top receivers, Daunte Williams, who is out with an injury. At the quarterback position, Ezra Curiel relieved Redmond and completed four of his last seven passes. As a team, the Wildcats threw for just 55 yards.
Agua Fria can clinch the region title with a wins in its final two games at home in Avondale on Nov. 13 against Independence (1-4) and Nov. 20 against Canyon View (2-3). That would be the Owls' first since 2006. But first, there is a non-region game next Friday in Cave Creek against Cactus Shadows (3-0). With playoff spots not given to region champions in 5A, a victory over the Falcons is a must have. Last year, the Owls finished 6-4, but didn't have a high enough strength of schedule to crack the 16-team playoff field. This year's is only eight. Agua Fria's last postseason appearance was in 2013.
What did this win mean to Trimble, who finished with 18 carries for 116 yards?
"It means a lot to us because we haven't made playoffs in a long time," Trimble said.
First Quarter:
AF - Camden Weeg 13 yard pass from Angel Soto (Weeg kick), 10:28
Second Quarter:
WC - Daniel Redmond 2 yard run (Bryson Wilke kick), 8:55
WC - Vance Cooper 3 yard run (Wilke kick), 3:06
AF - Tristen Sanchez-Clark 9 yard run (kick blocked), 0:47
Third Quarter:
No Scoring
Fourth Quarter:
WC - Cooper 21 yard run (Wilke kick), 9:37
AF - Sanchez-Clark 15 yard run (pass failed), 7:07
AF - Dylan Griffith 20 yard pass from Sanchez-Clark (Sanchez-Clark run), 0:27
