Saguaro probably didn't need seven Queen Creek turnovers on Friday night to prevail in their quarterfinal playoff game. The Sabercats moved the ball at will when they possessed it, no matter in Queen Creek territory or  their own 2.

The miscues and Saguaro's efficient offense made for a very ugly night for No. 2 seed Queen Creek as the visiting No. 7 Sabercats breezed to a 54-0 victory over the Bulldogs in a Division II contest.

Saguaro (10-2) continued its six-year mastery over Queen Creek (9-3) with a ninth consecutive win over the Bullodgs dating back to 2009 when the teams began meeting regularly as D-III contenders. Seven of the nine losses suffered by Queen Creek came in postseason. Saguaro moves on to face No. 6 Westview, a 21-14 winner over No. 3 Williams Field, in next Friday's (Nov. 20) semifinals. Saguaro also has a nine-game winning streak overall intact heading to the semis.

Saguaro scored eight touchdowns with seven different players doing the honors. The Sabercats amassed a 28-0 lead at halftime with the help of five of Queen Creek's seven turnovers (three fumbles and two interceptions). While the total yardage in the first half was relatively close (Saguaro held a 242-174 advantage), the game proceeded to get more out of whack in the second half. Saguaro controlled the ball for more than eight minutes in th third period and tallied with a five-minute drive to open the period.

It was a night Saguaro standout receiver/cornerback Byron Murphy didn't go wild on offense, but was omnipresent on defense. Murphy was in on a couple of the takeaways (a fumble recovery and pick). The  pick went for a touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to make it 47-0 and force a running clock for a quicker,  more merciful end to the contest.

Saguaro's array of offensive weapons enjoyed the evening. Junior running back Stone Matthews rushed for 162 yards on 22 carries and tallied the game' first TD on a 4-yard run. That followed linebacker Carson Nugent's interception in Saguaro territory that Nugent returned to the Queen Creek 37. Matthews  had several runs he appeared stopped on, only to break away from the pile for extra and sometimes big yardage. 

Senior quarterback Kare Lyles tossed three TD passes and ran for another. Lyles completed 14 of 21 passes for 210 yards. His scoring tosses were for 11, 30 and 35 yards to Julian Carter, Murphy and tight end Jared Poplawski.  Runnnig back Brandt Casey and backup quarterback Max Massingale also scored for Saguaro.

Queen Creek quarterback Kaleb Honea had some good moments, passing for 110 yards in the first half. while  moving the chains with some consistency.  But two of the four interceptions he threw occurred in the opening half and took place in Saguaro territory. He also fumbled in the red zone late in the first half during the Bulldogs' best chance to score.