OPEN PLAYOFF BLOG: 11/23/19

With a defense that has shut five opponents out this season, the Chandler Wolves have had some people saying that this is the best unit in school history. On Saturday night at Hamilton HS, the defending champs leaned on that group while battling a tough opponent from Tucson in another tight semifinal.

And boy did that defense deliver.

Fueled by six sacks and five turnovers, Chandler handed Salpointe Catholic it's first loss of the season, 24-16 to return to the championship game in the state's highest classification for the fourth straight season. This year's isn't the normal 6A variety. It's the Super-8, or the Open State Championship, consisting of the top teams in 6A, 5A, and 4A.

The Wolves will face another 4A school - Saguaro (11-1) - in a Lords of the Rings-type battle in the first Open title game at Sun Devil Stadium on Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. Over the last six years, Saguaro (6) and Chandler (4) have combined for 10 state championship victories.

"I knew it was going to be a difficult game," Chandler head coach Rick Garretson said. "You know that great players like Bijan (Robinson) and Lathan (Ransom) are going to have their moments, and they got two."

Both Salpointe and Chandler came in with high-powered offenses averaging more than 57 points per game. However, they both possess defenses that can shut teams down and that was the style of game that transpired on this night.

In a scoreless first quarter, the Lancers had the early chance. From the 1-yard line, Robinson was stopped on third down. Salpointe went for it from there and brought in Ransom as a Wildcat quarterback. He tried to run it up the middle out of the shotgun and was dropped for a loss. Each side crossed midfield, but suffered a turnover.

Chandler (12-0) converted on fourth-and-five with a 15-yard completion from junior Mikey Keene to Kyion Grayes to the 5. However, a holding penalty pushed the Wolves back and they settled for a field goal to open the scoring.

That early lead lasted just 37 seconds, because sophomore Treyson Bourguet made a statement with a deep ball for Ransom. The Ohio State commit grabbed the pass in stride and let loose with his speed for a 68-yard scoring play for Salpointe (10-1). A missed extra point left the score at 6-3.

Chandler played this game without star running back Dae Dae Hunter. The senior suffered an injury in last week's win over Chaparral. He was suited up, but took just one carry in the second quarter. The Wolves used four different backs, including Jaheim Brown-Taylor. The speedy senior back has rarely been used this season. He had just 20 carries all season, and none in the past month. But, his 41-yard run set up the go-ahead score. It came on Keene's 20th touchdown pass of the season. He rolled right and found tight end Jay McEuen for an 11-yard play. The 10-6 score held up as the game hit halftime.

Despite three first-half turnovers, Salpointe was very much in it.

"I thought our defense being really undersized, played unbelievably well," Salpointe head coach Dennis Bene said. "Our defense played tremendous."

Robinson was held to 52 yards on eight carries in the first half, but he nearly doubled that on his first touch of the third quarter. He ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run to go over the 7,000-yard mark for his career. He added one more to his record that someone else will have to try and catch one day with his 114th career touchdown. More importantly, he gave Salpointe a 13-10 lead.

He also gave the fans in attendance one for the highlight reel with this catch.

The player many regard as the best running back to ever play in the state had more than 2,000 yards in each of his last three seasons. He is committed to Texas for college ball.

"His best qualities are off the football field," Bene said. "He's a kid of incredible integrity. He's healthy and the best football for him is ahead."

Keene completed 23-of-32 passes for 235 yards. His top receiver was junior Jalen Richmond. His 16-yard reception put the Wolves on top, 17-13. Richmond caught seven passes for 84 yards.

Salpointe knocked on the door again late in the third quarter. The Lancers had it at the 6-yard line, but a sack by senior linebacker Tate Romney forced SCHS to kick a field goal. Dominic Chakraborty's 32-yarder closed the gap to 17-16 as the third quarter ended.

"Our defensive line was getting to the quarterback," Romney said. "They did a great job tonight."

Chandler registered six sacks in the game. Bourguet faced constant pressure from Zion Magalei, Brandon Buckner, Bryant Jackson, and Jeremiah Tyler. That group is athletic and hard to defend.

"We're pressuring the quarterback," Garretson said. "I don't know of any quarterback that likes bullets coming at him. It gives us the advantage."

A third-down sack by junior linebacker Kyler Orr backed the Lancers up inside their own 20. From there, a special teams miscue gave Chandler some breathing room.

Gunner Maldonado has been one of the top secondary players in the state over the last two seasons. He came up big once again with a pair of interceptions. The second thwarted Salpointe's next drive. For the season, Maldonado has six picks.

"He's a dynamic player," Garretson said. "If he was on offense, he'd be our best offensive player. There's a reason he's going to Northwestern."

Salpointe had two more cracks at it, but the Lancers weren't able to get in the end zone again and Chandler's win streak is now at 25 games.

With the loss, it marked the final game for Bene. An alum of Salpointe, he has coached the Lancers for 19 seasons. Bene, who announced his retirement shortly before the season, won the 2013 Division II state championship and finished with a coaching record of 184-44.

"Some missed drives and some untimely turnovers," Bene said. "That's a factor of your opponent. Tremendous team. They deserve all the accolades. They're the 17th-ranked team in America. Our kids just played with a lot of heart tonight."

Salpointe was the first team in Chandler's win streak to hold the Wolves under 30 points. One area of the offense that struggled was with penalties. Several plays were called back due to holding. For the night, the Wolves had 12 penalties for 115 yards.

"We did some things uncharacteristic of an offense with a couple turnovers and way too many penalties again," Garretson said. "That's happened for a few weeks now."

Saguaro and Chandler will play one another for the first time since 1992. It's safe to say that film from that game won't help either coach, so they have two weeks to study a new team. When the Open was created, it was with the intent to create one true state champion. Saguaro and Salpointe, from the 4A Conference, have shown they can compete with the larger-enrollment schools in 5A and 6A in this tournament.

"This is what the Super-8 was made for," Orr said. "I love these type of games. This is where I thrive and become a better football player."

First Quarter:
No Scoring
Second Quarter:
Chan - Crew Peterman 29 yard FG, 10:30
Salp - Lathan Ransom 68 yard pass from Treyson Bourguet (kick failed), 9:53
Chan - Jay McEuen 11 yard pass from Mikey Keene (Peterman kick), 6:44
Third Quarter:
Salp - Bijan Robison 50 yard run (Dominic Chakraborty kick), 11:41
Chan - Jalen Richmond 16 yard pass from Keene (Peterman kick), 9:13
Salp - Chakraborty 32 yard FG, 1:07
Fourth Quarter:
Chan - Zion Magalei fumble recovery in end zone (Peterman kick), 7:46