Desert Edge defeated Paradise Valley 29-27 in the Division III championship game Saturday afternoon at Arizona Stadium. The win capped off a 12-2 record for the Scorpions and it signaled the arrival of junior quarterback Tehran Thomas.

Thomas was injured the first time the Scorpions faced Paradise Valley back in September. The result of his absence was a 33-21 loss and that was followed by a 23-14 loss to Chaparral the following week. Desert Edge was 1-2 and it was beginning to look like a lost season but Thomas returned and Desert Edge reeled off six wins in a row to make it to the state playoffs.

That "lost" feeling returned with 2:09 left with Paradise Valley clinging to a 27-23 lead. Thomas was facing fourth-and-five from the 41. A field goal was obviously out of the question so Thomas stepped back to look for a receiver and then he did what he does best. He ran.

Thomas finished the game with 214 yards rushing but the final 41 brought the most noise from the Scorpion faithful. Thomas broke free, looking for a first down, but he was in the clear with no defenders in his path. Only a tackle at the 1 prevented him from scoring on the play.

The Trojans stuffed him on his next two attempts but Thomas scored from one-yard out to give the Scorpions a 29-27 lead with 1:32 left.

"I was told to make plays. To be the playmaker, make the big-time plays they expect me to make," Thomas explained. "Go out there and make plays for my team and get the victory."

But 1:32 left on the clock appeared to be too much time with Daniel Bridge-Gladd controlling the Paradise Valley offense.

The University of Washington commit threw for 408 yards in the game. He also ran for 46 more and was responsible for all four touchdowns. He took over at his own 24 and marched down the field. It took only six plays to set up a first down at 17 with 43 seconds left.

A field goal could have won it right there after Bridge-Gladd spiked the ball to stop the clock but nothing is certain so the Trojans went for more. Another incomplete set up a third down but it was still manageable at the 17 with 34 seconds left.

Then came Zach Famolaro and Dante Blissit. The defensive lineman converged on Bridge-Gladd and they combined for a huge sack. The Trojans had burned their timeouts trying to stop Thomas on the previous drive so a long field goal attempt was rushed and it came up short.

"It was just amazing. The coaches put us in the right position," Blissit said. "I went 150 percent for my team, all nonstop.

"They were telling me I got you, I got them and if I got them then you got me. It feels sensational," he added.

Bridge-Gladd put Paradise Valley up 27-23 with 5:56 left in the game on a 24-yd pass to Jacob Brown. It was another incredible night statistically speaking for Bridge-Gladd but that obviously become meaningless in a loss of this magnitude.

"I'm not thinking about all those yards I just feel I let my team down on that last play," Bridge-Gladd explained. "Maybe one day I'll be able to look back at my career and celebrate it more but not today."

Bridge-Gladd's numbers could have been even greater had it not been for a few dropped passes in the opening minutes of the game. At times, the senior looked like the most composed player on the field.

He finished his career with 9,411 yards passing with 115 TDs. Had it not been for former All-State QB Ryan Finley (Boise State) his freshman year, Bridge-Gladd might have been the starter all four years and he might have had a shot at the state record. Regardless, his 4,261 yards passing this year puts him in the top ten nationally and best in Arizona by almost 1,000 yards.

If he catches on with Washington, Bridge-Gladd will see Arizona Stadium again.

While Bridge-Gladd is the favorite to take home the state Player of the Year award, Thomas brings home a championship to Desert Edge. The Scorpions came close in 2012 but fell to Queen Creek 9-7.  Only Thomas Sangillo, Hunter Jones and Alex Medrano remain from that team.

Despite missing three games, Thomas finished the year with 1,149 yards passing and 1,646 yards rushing. Desert Edge will be loaded again next year with Thomas returing for his senior year.

Medrano will be the biggest loss and he finished with 87 yards and a touchdown for Desert Edge. The Scorpions will also lose Alias Sturges. The senior finished with 69 yards receiving.

Again, Bridge-Gladd was responsible for every yard the Trojans collected. Brown caught 205 yards with a touchdown, Jim Dragon pulled down 72 yards, Aron Smith had 79 and Jordan Delaney finished with 43 and two TDs. Delaney also had an interception.

 

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