Pima closes dominant playoff run with Arizona Conference 2A football title

While the Oct. 28 contest was a 21-20 squeaker that was back-and-forth until the final horn, the rematch saw Pima in charge for most of the game, starting with the opening series.

The Wildcats elected to defer after winning the coin toss and the Roughriders responded to the dare with an opening drive that concluded with 21-yard touchdown scamper by senior running back Wyatt Wiltbank.

Morenci answered immediately with a touchdown drive of their own that was capped by a 43-yard sprint by Michael Casillas, and it seemed the game might evolve into another thriller.

But that’s not what happened. Instead, Pima put up another quick seven on a 20-yard TD pass from quarterback Seth Russell to senior wideout Grant Ashby. That gave Pima a 14-7 lead with 5:01 left in the first quarter.

From then on, every time the Wildcats had an opportunity to take the momentum from Pima, the Roughriders grabbed it right back.

Exhibit one was a sequence that started with a Pima fumble inside the Morenci red zone with 1:38 left in the first. The Wildcats recovered the ball, negating a potential early dagger, but they were unable to capitalize on the scoreboard and had to punt.

A pass interference call in the following series gave Pima another short field to work with, and this time, the Roughriders didn’t squander it, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 7:37 left in the first half. The PAT attempt failed, making the score 20-7.

Morenci had a golden chance to climb back into the contest with 1:31 left in the half. That’s when free safety Derek Saenz intercepted a Russell pass that had been tipped by Wildcat teammate Patrick Chavez.

The Wildcats were threatening to score when they fumbled on a pitch in the Pima red zone. The Roughriders recovered, keeping the score 20-7 at the break.

And so it went in the second half, which opened with an ill-advised attempt by Morenci to field a shanked kickoff that clearly was headed out of bounds. The ball was mishandled and turned over to Pima at the Wildcat 31-yard line.

Pima wasted little time converting the opportunity into points, scoring on a 19-yard Seth Russell run to make the score 27-7.

Morenci responded quickly with a 62-yard rushing touchdown by Saenz. But the two-point attempt didn’t work, and to make matters worse, the Wildcats gave the touchdown right back. Junior Tuddy Smart returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a Pima TD.

The entire sequence took about 14 seconds of game time, and instead of looking at a possible 27-15 deficit, the Morenci squad found itself in a 34-13 hole with seven minutes left in the third.

And the hole got deeper when Wyatt Wiltbank hit pay dirt from 10 yards out to make the score 40-13 with 2:29 left in the third (PAT failed).

At that point, something resembling a New Orleans funeral dirge seemed be coming from the Wildcat Marching Band’s tuba section, and some Morenci fans started streaming for the exits.

Nevertheless, there was still a full quarter still to be played, and to their credit, the Wildcats didn’t quit. Derek Saenz put another six on the scoreboard on a short touchdown run to make the score 40-19 (two-point attempt failed).

But once again, the Wildcats gave the momentum right back. This time it was a 61-yard touchdown run by Wiltbank on the first play from scrimmage following the Morenci score.

That made the tally 47-19. Pima added a superfluous field goal near the end of the game to make the final score. The win capped a season for the ages for a team whose only loss came at the hands of a Conference 3A state finalist.

Pima finished the season with an overall record of 13-1. The Roughriders outscored their four playoff opponents 201-41.

“I love these kids,” Pima Head Coach Josh Wilkins said after the game. “This has been our goal all year.”

Wilkins didn’t hesitate when asked who his player of the game was.

“Wyatt Wiltbank,” he said.

Pima quarterback Russell agreed. “He pounded the ball with authority all night long,” he said.

Wiltbank was credited with 264 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the night. He said it was the best game of his high school career.

The senior running back said he plans to go on a mission trip for his church after graduation, and then he may explore whether he can play college ball.

Nevertheless, his immediate plans were clear: “I’m going to party with my family,” he said.