Higley district athletic director Art Wagner was as excited as anyone about watching the Williams Field-Thunderbird 4A-II football championship game unfold on Saturday afternoon.

Williams Field, of course, is one of the schools Wagner oversees as its district AD. And he's been around his share of football. Wagner issued a somewhat prophetic statement just prior to kickoff about how Williams Field might be able to knock off Thunderbird. Find a way to rattle the Chiefs' confidence.

"The way they've played in the playoffs you want to try and break that glass slipper early," Wagner quipped.

Williams Field never did shatter the glass slipper of Thunderbird. Might have scratched it a little when the Black Hawks tied the game in the fourth period and got the game to overtime.

But Williams Field was never able to rock the confidence of the No. 13 seed Chiefs. Thunderbird managed to do just enough all game and in overtime to prevail, 25-22.

Thunderbird had the right recipe for an underdog to pull off an upset.  The Chiefs forced four turnovers. Three of them turned into 12 of Thunderbird's 25 points. The fourth turnover may have cost Williams Field a field goal late in the first half.

Throw in two big plays - an 80-yard TD run on the first play of the game from scrimmage and a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD - and Thunderbird had concocted a dish that serves up a state title.