FOOTBALL: Catalina Foothills rolled past Tempe 35-7

August 27, 2016 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365


Rhett Rodriguez had a difficult time getting away from My-King Johnson
but the son of Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez still managed a big win.
(Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

Catalina Foothills dominated on both ends of the field Friday night and came away with a 35-7 win over Tempe at home.

University of Arizona commit Rhett Rodriguez threw for 141 yards with three of his 10 completions going for touchdowns. Rodriguez hit Bryan Beckon from 16 yards out to put the Falcons up 7-0 in the first quarter and then senior fullback Derrick Murray broke up the middle for a 12-yard dash to make the score 14-0 with 4:24 left in the first half.

Tempe (1-1) showed some life after Juwan Jefferson ripped off a 65-yard run moments later to cut the Falcon lead in half but Dashiel Pudwill returned the favor when he scored from 63 yards out nine seconds later.

Catalina Foothills (1-0) never looked back despite three huge sacks from Tempe DE My-King Johnson. Johnson (6-foot-3, 225-pounds) is being chased by Texas A&M, Oregon, USC, Arizona, Arizona State and UNLV for a good reason. Johnson had 22 sacks last year and has four so far this year.

But Johnson wasn’t the only big defender on the field Friday night. Catalina Foothills senior safety Jimmy Stewart came away with two interceptions to help seal the win for the Falcons.

“It was all due to our team,”Beckon explained. “Our offense was good and our defense was excellent. Our line and our linebackers created opportunities for us.”

Stewart also caught a 31-yard TD pass from Rodriguez and finished the game with a game-high 48 yards receiving. Rodriguez hit Heath Kleindienst for his other touchdown (23 yards).

Pudwill finished with 134 yards rushing and 43 yards receiving.

The Buffaloes had a difficult time producing any kind of offense besides the 65-yard dash from Jefferson. Sophomore QB Nathan Clayton finished with 49 yards and an interception. Senior Daniel Rivas took over late in the game but he only collected 16 yards and was also picked off by Stewart.

The loss, or rather the way Tempe lost, was the most disturbing to longtime coach Brian Walker. Walker earned Coach of the Year honors in 2014 when he guided the Buffaloes to a 12-1 record but this year might prove to be more difficult since he lost his four top offensive weapons to graduation.

“We have to play every week like it’s a playoff game,” Walker told his team. “We’ve got to play better than this. This was unacceptable. It breaks my heart.”

Tempe will host Buckeye (0-1) next Friday. The Hawks dropped a 49-0 game to Sunrise Mountain on Friday night.

Catalina Foothills will travel to Saguaro (1-0) next Friday. It’s a difficult game under any circumstance but traveling to Saguaro might give a few teams reason to pack it in but not Catalina Foothills.

“We are a more determined team this year,” Beckon added. “We are practicing harder this year with a purpose. When you play a team like Saguaro you have to have the mindset that you can go there and win otherwise you have no chance. It’s all about your mindset.”