San Tan Charter wins Santa Cruz Valley

Gilbert San Tan Charter played inspired defense against Santa Cruz Valley in Friday’s high school football showdown between the top 2 teams in the AIA 2A Conference.

Santa Cruz Valley (7-1) entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Arizona Republic’s 2A Conference rankings, and San Tan Charter (7-0) ranked No. 2. These positions were reversed in the AIA’s initial 2A rankings released earlier in the week.

The Roadrunners forced three turnovers on downs, two fumbles and two interceptions. Another stellar performance from versatile two-way player Uriah Neloms led the Roadrunners to a 24-15 victory.

Main parts

Santa Cruz’s O’Ryan Williams got the ball rolling for the Dust Devils with a fumble recovery returning all the way to the San Tan Charter 8-yard line. A few penalties and Roadrunner stops later, Santa Cruz tried on 4th and 25 but couldn’t convert.

With 2:30 left in the first, Neloms showed his legs and ran up the middle for a 55-yard touchdown. The Roadrunners held a 6-0 lead after a missed 2-point conversion.

San Tan’s Timi Akinyoyenu had things going on on both sides of the field. He picked up a loose ball after a completed pass was deflected by Christian Munoz. Then, with just over two minutes left before halftime, he caught a 47-yard punt from Neloms for a touchdown. The 2-point conversion was good this time and San Tan led 14-0 at halftime.

Santa Cruz came out swinging in the second half, mounting an efficient attack that ended with Juan Juarez reaching the end zone after quarterback Nathan Harris hit a dart.

But the Roadrunners were resilient. On fourth down, they faked the punt to get the first down, and on the next play, Dwayne Jones caught a short pass and ran 45 yards for a touchdown. Roadrunners up 14.

San Tan’s defense continued to show up. They forced another fumble, which was recovered by the Dust Devils only for Brody Prassas to intercept a Nathan Harris pass on the next play. The Roadrunners would force another turnover on the downs when Santa Cruz went for it on the 4th goal.

Then it was the defense, once again, that closed. With two minutes to go, Jayden Williams threw an attempted pass into the air, and it was none other than Neloms who made the interception. Then it was the victory formation for the Roadrunners.

Main players

Neloms started the Roadrunners’ scoring with a 55-yard run and contributed two touchdowns through the air. He even added an interception to the stat sheet to end the game. Timi Akinyoyenu did it on both sides. He recovered a fumble for San Tan and then caught a 47-yard touchdown.

Quotes

“It sucks,” San Tan coach Chase Cartwright said of what it’s like playing against Santa Cruz. “They’re big, they’re physical, they’re well-coached, they’re disciplined… We hope to see them again in the future.”

“Todd Peat being our defensive coordinator, a former high school teammate of mine, he came in and did an incredible job leading the entire defensive group,” Cartwright added.

“Trust the game plan. Coach Chase put us in position to win. We just executed our game plan.” – Uriah Neloms of San Tan

Next

Santa Cruz (7-1) plays at home against Sequoia Pathway (1-6) next Friday, while San Tan Charter (7-0) is on the road against Heritage Academy (5-2).