Bobcats hold off Stampede to run record to 6-1
WEEKLY BLOG: 10/21/22
The stakes were high for the Central Bobcats on Friday night. They stood at No. 13 in the 5A playoff rankings and have no margin for error if they are to make the postseason for the first time since 2009. The Central players were also playing for steaks.
Kevin Belcher opened up Betty Fairfax High School, the newest in the Phoenix Union District, when the Stampede began varsity play in 2009. He coached five seasons there, and then became the school's athletic director. Belcher left that post and is now in his first season as Central's AD. So this game represented a Homecoming of sorts for Belcher. There was one other factor at play.
Central was 0-7 all-time against Fairfax. The last time the teams played, in 2019, it wasn't much of a contest as the Stampede rolled to a 50-12 win.
So, Belcher told the team if they played well and could pull off a win for his new school against his old school, they would have steaks.
These weren't a future pregame meal, or food for the postseason banquet. They were for right now. After the coaches gave their postgame speeches to the Bobcats, Belcher addressed the team and not only assured them that there would be steaks, but he'd grilled up 50 of them (along with baked potatoes) for the players and coaches and had a table set up just beyond the goal line in the north end zone.
Central capitalized with its special teams, forced four turnovers, and used its passing game to finally triumph over their district rivals from the southwest in a 27-20 win in a 5A Metro Region matchup Friday at Ray Laing Field.
It gave the Bobcats (6-1, 2-0 in 5A Metro Region), their fourth straight win and kept them tied for the lead in the standings (with Camelback). It was also a change of pace from the previous two games that saw Central outscore its opposition 88-8.
Central head coach Chandler Hovik said his team was resilient.
"To me, there's no such thing as an ugly win," Hovik said. "We just kept bouncing back. After every big play from Fairfax, we were ready to answer."
The Stampede (3-4, 0-2), meanwhile, had its fifth consecutive game which was decided by a touchdown or less (2-3 record in those).
"I thought the kids played hard," Fairfax head coach Brandon Johnson said. "We just made too many errors. We had over 100 yards in penalties and four turnovers. You aren't going to win like that against anybody."
Some teams defer when winning the coin toss, but Central wanted the ball first. The Bobcats entered this one averaging 35 points per game. Senior Dominik Bagchi completed a 37-yard pass to Ja'Coby Gilmore to get CHS close. Then on third down, he struck with a scoring pass in the corner of the end zone to sophomore Breon Ballard.
Fairfax completed its first pass, but fumbled it. Central recovered and Bagchi went right back to work on the next play. He went deep to the left corner, where Gilmore hauled it in for the Bobcats' second touchdown in 16 seconds.
After that play, the Stampede took control of most of the action on the field for the rest of the half. Senior Andre Branch went on a 40-yard run and later was on the receiving end on a pass in the backfield. He got around the edge to get Fairfax on the board. A two-point run (also by Branch) made the score 14-8 after a quarter.
On its next possession, Fairfax converted twice on fourth down. The first (in its own end of the field) was a pass from Anthony Escobedo to his 6-4, 230-pound tight end Owen Kunes. The Stampede evened the score on Branch's second touchdown run to cap a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Another try for two followed, but it was unsuccessful and the score was knotted at 14.
The Stampede threatened to take the lead later in the quarter and reached the Bobcat 30-yard line. But, Bryson Ballard (Breon's older brother), intercepted a pass, avoided a tackle, and took it all the way down the right sideline for 80 yards.
"I looked at the quarterback's eyes and followed where he was trying to throw it and picked it," Ballard said. "I got a little block, cut in real quick and that was a big momentum shift for all of us."
Central kept giving Fairfax long fields to try and score with. Kicker (and punter and cornerback) Izzy Foz forced the Stampede to start on the 20 after each of the Bobcats' scores. He also punted over the coverage and got a roll all the way to the 1-yard line (69-yard punt). Foz later added an interception on defense.
That was a good thing because Fairfax ran double the amount of plays as Central in the first half (39-19). The Stampede led in total yardage by a 275-105 count, but the two turnovers were the difference on the scoreboard (20-14).
Both teams struggled to move the ball in the third quarter and the score remained 20-14 entering the final 12 minutes.
Branch, who rushed for 139 yards on 20 carries, got Fairfax good field position with a punt return to midfield. Fairfax would later convert on third-and-long with a pass play, then got an extra 11 yards due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Central sideline. That put the ball at the 11 (half the distance) and Escobedo completed a touchdown pass to O'layan Fields. The kick was blocked and the score was tied once again.
The teams then exchanged turnovers. Central on the ensuing kickoff and then Fairfax with a pass play that was tipped and then intercepted by Bryson Ballard. That gave the Bobcats the ball near midfield.
Bagchi was a clutch performer in a dramatic win earlier this year against Paradise Valley and came through again. On the first play from his own 47, he launched a deep pass to Breon Ballard for the go-ahead score. It was a play where the receiver does a double move and stops before taking off.
"The corners and linebacker were playing off," Bagchi said. "We've hit them with so many short routes. They were starting to jump them."
It was Bagchi's 23rd touchdown pass of the season against just two interceptions.
On Fairfax's final drive, the Stampede reached its own 40 after having to start at the 15-yard line. But a pair of sacks by Josiah Thompson (third down) and Aaron Francis (fourth down) ended the rally.
"Our defense won us the game tonight," Hovik said. "They created turnovers and made sure of that bend, but don't break mentality."
Fairfax will host South Mountain (3-4, 1-1) next Friday in Laveen. The Stampede had 15 penalties for 140 yards.
"It's a home game," Johnson said. "Should mean a lot. It's a little rivalry game for us. Hopefully, we can just bounce back."
While it wasn't the dominating performance the Bobcats had grown accustomed to, it was still a win. Nevertheless, there are still things to improve on.
"I feel like we have a lot of stuff to clean up on offense," Bagchi said. "We've got to work on sustaining drives better."
Central has been ranked at No. 13 in both of the AIA rankings. Hovik said the team is "living in the now" and only focusing on the next opponent, which is a road trip to Maricopa (0-7, 0-2). The Bobcats' remaining opponents are ranked #42 (Maricopa), #29 (McClintock), and #20 (Camelback). The feeling is that if the Bobcats win out, they will of course, win the region, but also should remain in the top 16 of the 5A rankings (out of 47 schools). The computer rankings are out of the hands of Central, but the winning is something it can control and on Friday, the Bobcats won their third game by a touchdown or less.
And it makes for special nights like Friday, where Central beat a team it had never conquered before and were rewarded like kings on the field afterwards.
First Quarter:
Cent - Breon Ballard 5 yard pass from Dominik Bagchi (Izzy Foz kick), 8:38
Cent - Ja'Coby Gilmore 23 yard pass from Bagchi (Foz kick), 8:22
Fair - Andre Branch 6 yard pass from Anthony Escobedo (Branch run), 6:52
Second Quarter:
Fair - Branch 3 yard run (pass failed), 10:26
Cent - Bryson Ballard 80 yard interception return (kick failed), 6:26
Third Quarter:
No scoring
Fourth Quarter:
Fair - O'layan Fields 11 yard pass from Escobedo (kick blocked), 9:31
Cent - Breon Ballard 53 yard pass from Bagchi (Foz kick), 7:40
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