Connor Morman
ASU Student Journalist

Chandler defeats rival Hamilton to finish off perfect regular season

November 2, 2019 by Connor Morman, Arizona State University


Coach Garretson talks to his team after its victory over Hamilton. (AZPreps365/Connor Morman)

Connor Morman is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com

 

Anything can happen in a rivalry game.

Just ask the Chandler Wolves, who shook off three lousy quarters of football to storm back and defeat their rival Hamilton 42-38 Friday night to finish off a perfect regular season.

How did the Wolves, who trailed by 14 and didn’t have the football entering the fourth quarter, pull off such thecomeback? Coach Rick Garretson may have an answer.

“Our guys have been in big games all the time,” Garretson said. “(That is) a good football team over there, we came back, we have the heart of a champion and we ended up finishing it off.”

The 2019 edition of the “Battle for Arizona Ave.” featured many twists and turns and came down to the last play before the Wolves (10-0) could stake their claim as the best school in the state, or at least on a street named after it.

Victory for the Wolves didn’t come easily. They never led until the final 17 seconds of the game. But the Wolves never gave in.

“We kept our heads on and told our kids this is why we work hard and do all the things we do from a mental standpoint and a preparation standpoint,” Garretson said. “We came back and finished off the game.”

“We didn’t lose hope,” senior running back Dae Dae Hunter said. “We had a couple drives where we didn’t finish, but we just kept fighting.”

Hunter, a transfer from Colorado, didn’t know what to expect from the rivalry.

“I’ve never been in a game like this,” said Hunter, who had four touchdowns in his first and only game against the Huskies. “When I came here, I didn’t really know much about it (the rivalry), but as soon as the game started, I felt the energy. It attacked me. And we showed up.”

The Wolves showed up in the fourth quarter trailing 35-21 and showing few signs of life. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the Wolves came back to tie the game at 35, thanks to a couple of defensive stops and a blocked punt.

“Both offense and defense struggled in the first quarter,” said senior safety Gunner Maldanado, who registered an interception in the fourth quarter, “but we started fighting back. We wanted to get our offense the ball.”

The offense took advantage of the opportunities it was given in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in just over two minutes to tie the game at 35.

The defensive effort at the end of the game did not go unnoticed.

“They came in clutch,” Hunter said. “We couldn’t ask for more. We asked them to make stops so we could score, and that’s what they did. They’re the MVP of the game.”

The Wolves offense had one final opportunity late in the fourth quarter trailing by three.

The Wolves marched down the field in just over two minutes to take their first lead of the game, 59 minutes and 43 seconds after it started.

There was little doubt the Wolves could move down the field and take the lead in a short amount of time.

“I’ll take my offense every single day with two minutes left in the game,” Maldanado said.

The win almost certainly secured the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the state tournament for the Wolves, allowing them extra time to rest and prepare for a fourth consecutive state championship.

“We’ll reset,” Garretson said. “We get two weeks to prepare for whoever we’re playing. We’ll come out ready to go at Austin Field in two weeks.”