It took a last-minute drive and double-overtime, but Coolidge moved to 4-0 on the year thanks to a 21-14 win at Sahuarita Friday night. Sahuarita (2-1) dominated the trenches for 46 minutes but couldn’t hold on despite limiting the Bears to 15 yards of total offense in the first half.

The Bears came in averaging 40 points a game but six sacks, a blocked punt and an interception had the Bears struggling to find the end zone. On the other side, the Mustangs found things just as difficult, thanks to four turnovers, including two in the first quarter.

Cristian Gonzales finished with 82 yards on the night and his 19-yard run down the sidelines, combined with a 2-point reception, put the Mustangs up 8-0 with 10:24 left in the first half. As mentioned before, Coolidge had difficulty moving the ball on the ground so the team moved to the air in the third quarter and Valentine Rodriguez hit Rashawn Fields from 12 yards out to cut the lead down to 8-7 with 6:24 left in the third.

A blocked punt in the closing moments of the third gave the Mustangs a 14-7 lead with Tucker Leinen falling on the ball in the end zone. That lead would hold until Coolidge took over with 2:08 left in the game, some 97 yards away.

Rodriguez had -29 yards rushing at that point but he would end the game with 24. Something started to click.

“We came together like a family,” Rodriguez said. “We came together like brothers and we started to execute and good things started to happen.”

Rodriguez ripped off runs of 22, 16 and nine yards and completed passes of 20 and 11 yards and, in a flash, the Bears were at the Sahuarita 21 with 27.3 seconds left in the game. Fields came up big again and he pulled down another Rodriguez offering to tie the game up 14-14 with 21.4 second left.

Then came an improbable first overtime.

Coolidge takes the lead in Second overtime 21-14 pic.twitter.com/eYA9YKSVht

— Andy Morales (@AZPreps365Andy) September 8, 2018

Sahuarita took the ball first and the Mustangs lined up for a field goal when the drive stalled short of the end zone but the kick was blocked, giving the Bears plenty of options to work with. The Mustangs needed a turnover and they got it thanks to a fumble into the end zone to send the game to double overtime.

It was the Bear’s turn to go first and the team found themselves backed up to the 23 after a holding call but Rodriguez erased the yardage on a throw to Brodee Brinkerhoff to put Coolidge up 21-14. The Mustangs were unable to answer.

Coolidge finished with two wins in each of the last three seasons with 2017 ending in two devastating losses by a combined score of 139-3. Now, the Bears are 4-0 in the 3A Central Region heading into a season-defining game at Benjamin Franklin (2-2) next week. Win that game and the Bears are in the driver’s seat for the region title with the American Leadership Academy-Queen Creek ineligible for post-season play.

Sahuarita was hoping to go 3-0 for the first time since 2014 but first-year head coach Don Watt likes what he saw on the field Friday night.

“This game showed our resiliency,” Watt said. “We are always going to be outnumbered size wise but it was good to see our line hang with guys much bigger. Our defense was incredible and we just have to have selective amnesia and go back to work.

The Mustangs have a couple more games before region play starts with Holbrook (1-1) and San tan Foothills (1-2) up ahead. The 3A South belonged to Sabino (1-2) and Pusch Ridge (1-2) but the Mustangs have started to change the narrative.