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Goodyear Desert Edge was down its starting tailback, starting left tackle, starting center, and, without timeouts, drove 90 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
And after putting the ball in the hands of its best player, Deshawn Warner, to punch in the two-point conversion, players ran wildly around the field at Mountain America Stadium Friday night, believing they had just pulled out the greatest miracle comeback for the 5A football championship.
But hold up. A yellow flag went up after Warner had rolled around end for the points, and it was called back by holding.
Desert Edge, pushed back 10 yards, still went for two. After Hezekiah Millender’s pass was broken up in the end zone, Gilbert Higley players ran wildly to celebrate a 42-41 victory and state title in a game that was filled with drama.
“We didn’t come here to tie,” an emotional Mark Carter, co-coach of the Scorpions with his brother Marcus, said afterward. “If you think of Desert Edge, you think of guts, you think of resiliency that comes with an edge. We didn’t want to give up the chance.”
Warner, one of the best edge rushers in the state and most versatile athletes, scored the touchdown from a yard out as time ran out, capping the long scoring drive.
“It’s only fitting for Deshawn,” Mark Carter said.
Warner thought the game was over when he ran into the end zone, not seeing the flag behind him.
“I was almost 1,000 percent sure that we won the game,” Warner said. “It’s been like that all year. We’re playing against the other team and playing against the refs. But I can’t blame it all on the refs. We had some mistakes.”
Higley was cruising along Friday night on its way to a second consecutive championship with a near-perfect first half, before tempers flared during a special teams play.
After a Desert Edge punt with 1:21 left, a fight between Desert Edge and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/higley-outlasts-desert-edge-wild-074703996.html
Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Publish date : 2023-12-02 07:47:03
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