Northwest Christiain coach Dave Inness won't have to deal with Yuma Catholic's Carter Rodriguez again. That's good news for Inness, but the senior all-purpose back and defender left Northwest Christian a parting gift -- six touchdowns.

Rodriguez scored five touchdowns and passed for another Saturday night as a big stretch in the second period enabled No. 1 Yuma Catholic to pull away and defeat No. 4 Northwest Christian, 56-29, in a Division V semifinal game at Fountain Hills High School.

Yuma Catholic goes for a second consecutive D-V title and a third in four years on Saturday Nov. 29 when it faces Tempe Prep for the championship. Game time will be 2 p.m. at North Canyon High School. Northwest Christiain finished up 10-3, dropping two games to Yuma Catholic in the last 22 days. Saturday's game between Yuma Catholic and Northwest Christiain marked the 10th time they've faced each other in the last six years.

Yuma Catholic's three playoff wins have seen it average 59 points a game and dial up whatever it needs or wants on offense.

"We have a good mix of kids," Yuma Catholic coach Rhett Stallworh said. "Carter is a man. He or (quarterback) Jagan (Cleary) should be player of the year. Carter is fast. He's quick. What else can you say."

Rodriguez gouged NWC for five touchdowns in Yuma Catholic's 63-46 victory to close the regular season Oct. 31. His six scores Saturday night broke down this way -- three on runs, one on a pass reception, one on an interception return and the other -- the first one -- a scoring pass to Julian Aitken that put Yuma Catholic up 7-0 late in the first period. Unoffcially Rodriguez carried 18 times for 182 yards. He added 82 yards on four receptions.

Oddly enough, it was a Rodriguez fumble on the final play of the first period that set up NWC's only TD of the first half. It tied the game at 7 with 11:15 to play in the second period. NWC quarterback Drew Innes, who threw four TD passes on the night for the Crusaders, hit Cody Byers from 32 yards out for the first one.

For the rest of the half it was all Yuma Catholic. Aitken caught his second TD pass, this one of 20 yards from Cleary to malke it 14-7 with 7:53 left in the half. Rodriguez followed that with a 35-yard interception return for a TD making it 21-7 at the 6:32 mark.  Yuma Catholic's final score of the half came with no time remaining on a 1-yard run by Rodriguez. It was set up by a nice 39-yard pitch-and-catch from Cleary to Donovan Rooks.

Rodriguez took three minutes to punish NWC again to open the third period and extend the lead to 34-7. He took a short pass over the middle from Cleary and turned a 10-to-15-yard gain into a 55-yard TD. NWC pulled within three touchdowns a couple times, but didn't seriously threaten the Shamrocks lead in the second half.