11/20/2024
GOOD MORNING, FLAG FOOTBALL FANS! Ready for some more playoff action? Coconino travels to Prescott to take on the #2 Badgers in Final Four action!
After soundly beating the Westview Knights in the first round last week at Cromer Stadium, 38-0, the Panthers stunned the third-seeded Mesquite Wildcats in an overtime thriller, 13-7. And it was a thriller! The game was scoreless until the fourth quarter, Mesquite finally broke the scoring drought with a touchdown, and their 7-0 lead stood until the final seconds, when QB standout BLANCA VENTURA GOMEZ connected with LUCY STIEGLER with SIX SECONDS left on the clock. WYLAN SMITH kicked the PAT, and the game went into overtime. The Wildcats had the ball to start, and Smith came up with the key tackle to prevent Mesquite from scoring. After two downs of nothing when Coconino got their turn at the ball, it was Gomez to Stiegler again, on third down, for the winning score.
Gomez proved the old sports adage true, that sometimes it's now how many big plays you make, it's when. She had thrown three interceptions against Mesquite's tough defense, but she came through when her team needed her most and willed the Panthers to the big win.
They're going to play 14-0 Prescott, which looks like a daunting task, but they played them during the regular season and lost a tough one, 17-14. It was their only loss against 4A competition; they're sitting at 12-3, their losses coming against Prescott, 6A Highland in the opener, and 21-20 to 6A Sandra Day O'Connor.
The weather is looking good across Arizona today. The forecast for Prescott calls for sunny skies and a high of 61, but by kickoff time at 6pm it's going to be in the mid-40s, so bring your blankets and pack those visitors' stands. If you can't get there, the game will be broadcast on NFHS two times over; Prescott will have theirs, and if it's like last game, it will have no announcers, and we'll have ours, the CSPN kids will be showcasing it as well.
Thank you to all the parents who filled me in on the Mesquite game.
