WEEKLY BLOG: 11/22/19

Like the weather that blew through the Valley this week, Williams Field's offense can strike like lightning and then keep coming like the driving rain.

The Black Hawks' 52-17 5A semifinal win over San Tan Region rival Casteel was decided during five drives in the first half. It was just 11 plays, but almost half of them resulted in touchdowns, turning an early 7-0 deficit into a stranglehold and a 35-10 halftime advantage.

Williams Field will face another San Tan Region team - Campo Verde (10-3) - in the championship game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Sun Devil Stadium.

Casteel (9-4) entered the game at Campo Verde HS in Gilbert on a five-game winning streak, which was been bolstered by its passing game. The Colts came right out throwing with junior Dane Christensen completing four of five passes, all to Isaiah Newcombe. A 31-yard pass to a streaking Newcombe on the left side got the No. 4 seed on the board first.

The Colts lost a September matchup with Williams Field, 42-27. But, Casteel had the energy at the start and forced a three-and-out. Facing a fourth-and-one at the Williams Field 33-yard line on its second possession, CHS had the chance to put the Black Hawks in a hole.

But, the Williams Field defense didn't let that happen. Casteel went shotgun, the snap was high, the ball was handed off to a running back, and junior defensive tackle Dalton Brown wrapped him up for a loss. It was a momentum-changing play.

And Casteel never got it back.

Two plays later, Cal Bergquist ran a 10-yard out, caught a pass from senior quarterback Mason Bugg in stride as he slipped past the corner. With no other defenders in front of him, Bergquist raced to the end zone on a 69-yard play to tie the game.

It's a balanced offense for Williams Field (11-2) and the next time it got the ball, it was time to unleash the rushing attack. Sophomore Kaden Cloud broke a tackle and broke free. exploding for a 43-yard touchdown run. He tacked on another one (54 yards) early in the second quarter.

It didn't even matter if top-seeded Williams Field started out at its own 5-yard line. It could still score in two plays. Bugg dialed deep for junior Myles Taylor for a 79-yard touchdown. It was Taylor's 15th TD of the season.

Before the half was over, Bugg directed a 75-yard drive (four plays) with a 40-yard pass to Taylor, a 21-yard run from Cloud, and a 12-yard pass to junior Davin Switzer across the middle for his 30th touchdown toss of the year and a commanding, 35-10 halftime lead.

"We feel that we are very strong in our receiving corps," Bugg said. "It comes down to hitting the guy in space and that's what we did tonight."

At the half, the Black Hawks had 520 yards. They had run just 23 plays.

Meanwhile, for three full quarters, the Williams Field defense was putting on a clinic against a Casteel team that had scored more than 40 points in each of its last five games (and 73 last week against Millennium). It's a defense that gave up some points and yards in the first two games, but has progressed as there were just two returning starters from last year's 5A semifinal team.

After the initial touchdown by the Colts, the next 10 possessions netted just three points.

"Our defense has been coming along every single week," Williams Field head coach Steve Campbell said. "We're getting better and better."

Leading the way on that side of the ball was Carson Speer with a pair of sacks. Sophomore Mason Wolf also had a sack. Making plays were Sam Hancock, Ian Shewell, and Logan Hall.

Bugg bookended his four-touchdown night for WFHS with a pass to Bergquist on fourth-and-11 from the 24-yard line. He added a 24-yard run on a keeper in the fourth quarter before leaving with 336 yards (on 11 completions) and 90 rushing yards.

In this year's playoffs, Bugg has 12 touchdown passes and just one interception. His leading receiver was Taylor, with 203 yards in his four catches.

"We came in knowing that they're a team we played before," Bugg said. "We came in with the right mindset and we were able to bust the door open."

Three years ago, Bergquist, Bugg, and the other Black Hawks seniors were freshmen that watched the varsity team win its first state title by defeating Centennial. In that game, Tre' Bugg had a scoop and score fumble recovery in a 14-6 victory. Now, Mason Bugg, who viewed that performance by his brother at University of Phoenix Stadium from the student section, is making a name for himself.

The writing wasn't immediately on the wall as the freshman team wasn't a dominating force quite yet.

"That's always the goal," Bergquist said. "Going from 3-5-1 to the state championship. There's nothing like it."

The Class of '20 group improved to 6-2 in their JV season before backing up varsity players last year.

This season started unlike any other in Williams Field history. The Black Hawks lost an out-of-state game to Norco and then trailed Sunrise Mountain, 28-7 at the half. It inspired a speech from Campbell, and the start of the turnaround.

"We said, 'Just do your job'," Campbell said. "It encompasses so much. It's not just your assignment, it's your outlook. After you go 0-2, there's nobody left."

Williams Field battled back to tie that game, but then fell short on a last-second field goal. Since then, it's been 11 straight victories. In the playoffs, the Black Hawks have scored 56, 71, and 52 points.

Casteel had something new this year as well. It was the first year with players that had to be replaced. Some due to the first graduating class of seniors, others due to transfers. The Colts had new players at the skill positions and put together another winning team.

"We had a great group of kids and coaches that committed themselves," Casteel head coach Bobby Newcombe said. "I thought they played their hearts out to get as far as we did."

Christensen threw his 30th touchdown pass of the season in the game and he'll return. Receivers Isaiah Newcombe (son of the head coach) and Dominic DiGian will be back. On defense, safety Corbyn Cantrell, who had five interceptions, is a junior.

"We've got a lot of young guys coming up that we feel pretty confident about," Newcombe said. "We're looking forward to seeing them play next year."

For Williams Field, the game against Campo Verde will be its third straight rematch of a team it played during the regular season. In Week 10, the Black Hawks defeated Campo, 35-13. WFHS intercepted four passes in that game.

"Campo is very well coached," Campbell said. "They're very disciplined. They play great defense. It's going to be a great matchup."

First Quarter:
Cast - Isaiah Newcombe 31 yard pass from Dane Christensen (Dillon Crowder kick), 9:20
WF - Cal Bergquist 69 yard pass from Mason Bugg (Pablo Gonzalez kick), 5:06
WF - Kaden Cloud 43 yard run (Gonzalez kick), 3:07
Second Quarter:
WF - Cloud 54 yard run (Gonzalez kick), 9:29
WF - Myles Taylor 79 yard pass from Bugg (Gonzalez kick), 6:30
WF - Davin Switzer 12 yard pass from Bugg (Gonzalez kick), 2:37
Cast - Crowder 31 yard FG, 0:44
Third Quarter:
WF - Gonzalez 24 yard FG, 6:25
WF - Bergquist 24 yard pass from Bugg (Gonzalez kick), 0:57
Fourth Quarter:
WF - Bugg 24 yard run (Gonzalez kick), 11:11
Cast - Benjamin Blancas 1 yard run (Crowder kick), 7:48