Matthew McLeod (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

 

Jerry Harris had just over two dozen players at his disposal Friday night and about a third of the players he suited up against American Leadership Academy were either freshmen or sophomores. Not quite the “300 Spartans” Harris envisioned prior to the game but, then again, he wasn’t that far off.

The Lions pulled together for a 24-14 victory at home to avenge a 14-10 loss the team suffered on the road last year. The Patriots used that win as a springboard to a 13-1 season and a 3A state championship.

“It means the world to get off to a good start,” Harris explained. “We opened up with that loss last year and we had to battle hard to make the playoffs. This win wasn’t very pretty but, like 300 Spartans, it took a whole team to work together as one to get it done.”

Pusch Ridge (1-0) got off to a 6-0 lead thanks to an early fumble that set the Lions up on a short field. Dakota Haynes took the ball in from 1-yard out (kick failed) for the lead with 4:38 left in the first.

The fumble was one of five turnovers by American Leadership Academy (1-1) but the Patriots avoided another early setback when another fumble one minute later gave the Lions the ball at the 17 only to have Pusch Ridge fumble it right back on the next play.

Defense ruled the rest of the way until Matthew Nevill hit Bujon Boyd from 61-yards out to put the Patriots up 7-6 with 2:48 left in the half.

Nevill threw for 240 yards (11-24) on the night with two touchdowns but Matthew Mcleod picked him off with 8:03 left in the third to give Pusch Ridge a 14-7 lead after his 30-yard run back and a 2-pt conversion from PJ Haynes. Nevill found Kade Lunt from 36-yards out to tie the game up 14-14 with exactly two minutes left in the quarter.

The Patriots collected all 240 yards of offense through the air and the Lions got most of their 230 yards on the ground but a 41-yard pass from Christian Fetsis to Turner Harris led to a 23-yard field goal from McLeod to put Pusch Ridge up 17-14 with 5:36 left in the game.

A bad snap on a punt attempt from the Patriots led to a 6-yard TD run from McLeod to make it 24-14 with 4:02 left and interceptions from Dakota Haynes and McLeod sealed the deal down the stretch.

Boyd finished with 89 yards and a TD on two receptions and Lunt had three catches and a TD for 79 yards. The net gain of no yards rushing on 17 attempts combined with five turnovers proved too much to overcome and, in the end, the announcer congratulated the Lions on their win over the defending champions.

“Remember what you see right there,” head coach Rich Edwards said to his players while pointing at celebration across the field.

“They announced their win over the state champions on the speaker and that should make us want to improve, come together and do things right,” he added. “Other teams will try to knock you down if you don’t improve.”

The two-year scheduling block means other 3A playoff contenders Northwest Christian, Florence and Safford will also get rematches from last year with the ultimate rematch coming against Sabino next Friday night at home. The Sabercats (2-0) beat American Leadership Academy 16-13 in the regular season but the Patriots prevailed over the Sabercats 31-13 in the state championship game.

McLeod came away with 34 yards rushing, two interceptions, two TDs, a field goal and an extra point to help lead Pusch Ridge but P.J. Haynes (40 yards rushing), Gavin Davis (38), Mitch Maas (34) and Dakota Haynes (20) were all part of the balanced attack Harris spoke of before and after the game.

Pusch Ridge will visit Walden Grove (1-0) next week.

Mathew Nevill (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)