Mtn. Pointe 4th quarter subdues Desert Vista

October 1, 2015 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Mountain Pointe never trailed rival Desert Vista Thursday night in the annual Tukee Bowl, but victory wasn't assured until a decisive fourth-quarter put the Pride over the top.

Using a move-the-chains running game led by running back Macarius Blount and quarterback Jack Smith and getting a fourth-period turnover it converted into points, Mountain Pointe knocked off Desert Vista, 28-14, in a Division I matchup at jam-packed Desert Vista High.

Mountain Pointe (6-0, 1-0 section play), No. 3 this week in the D-I power-rankings, snapped a 14-14 tie in the first two minutes of the fourth period and added an insurance touchdown with just less than three minutes left to seal the deal. Smith tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Deon Lee with 10:50 left for a 21-14 lead. That finishes off an 8-play, 80-yard march highlighted by long runs (one each) by Blount and Smith. Mountain  Pointe won the ground-game battle in this one -- each team's strength on offense. The Pride outgained the Thunder on the ground 274-102.

A couple series later with No. 5 Desert Vista (5-2, 1-1) driving at midfield and looking to tie, Mountain Pointe defensive back Kenny Churchwell's second pick of the game inside Desert Vista's 20 was a game changer. Churchwell returned the interception 50 yards to the Desert Vista 31 with 5:16 to go. Six plays later, Smith ran 5 yards on a bootleg for the final tally to make it 28-14 with 2:54 left.

Smith accounted for three TDs on the night. His first came on a 6-yard scoring toss to Ralph Roman with 2:33 left in the first half to give Mountain Pointe a 14-7 lead heading to intermission. That play capped the best drive of the night by either team -- 90 yards in 15 plays. It consumed 7 1/2 minutes of the quarter. A quarter that saw Desert Vista run just four plays and possess the ball only two minutes of the quarter.

Smith finished with 85 yards rushing on 15 attempts and added 90 yards passing (8-for-11). Blount was his typical workhorse self, carrying unofficially 27 times for 156 yards and the game's first TD (an 11-yard run). Blount is now rouglhly 40 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing for the season. He entered the game averagig 161 yards on 24 attempts.

Desert Vista, which dropped its fourth game in a row to Mountain Pointe, but still leads the all-time series 10-9, played its best game against Mountain Pointe since a 23-21 loss in 2012. The Thunder answered each of Mountain Pointe's first two TDs. They tied the game at 7 on the best passing play of the night --  a 57-yard strike from Nick Thomas to wide out Raymond Figueroa, Thomas hit Figueroa in stride, who had his defender beaten by five yards.

Desert Vista came back from a 14-7 deficit late in the third period with a 55-yard march. Thomas had two completions of  12 and 35 yards to spark the drive. The 35-yarder was to Keishaud White to the Mountain Pointe 1. Running back Lelon Dillard scored on the next play to to the game at 14 headiing to the final quarter.

Thomas was 7-for-13 for 127 yards and two interceptions. Thomas' second pick was by Mountain Pointe's Isaiah Butler with 2:04 left.