On homecoming night Friday at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, the Lions were seeking to start 4-1 with a win against the San Tan Foothills Sabercats.
The evening finished in a good way for the Lions and their fans as they shut out the Sabercats 45-0.
This was the second shutout of the season for Pusch Ridge. The other was on Sept. 6 against Yuma in a 51-0 victory. Both shutouts have come on their home field.
Pusch Ridge special teams would open the scoring from the first kickoff with a 97-yard return by junior Dominic Painter, who also received a 49-yard touchdown pass from senior Jacob Newborn.
Senior Tyler Nolan also contributed with six extra points and a 45-yard field goal.
On the offensive side, Newborn would finish with a total of four touchdown passes. He would find other fellow teammates, senior Blake Reed for one and junior Nate Campa for two.
“Shoutout to the offensive line, they balled all night,” Newborn said. “We’re just confident in what we’re doing. If you have good practices, it’s going to turn out to good games.”
The defense for the Lions continues to shine bright as well. In their four wins, they have held their opponents to just 10 points. They gave up a field goal on Aug. 30 at Show Low in a 42-3 win, and a touchdown last week with a 44-7 road victory at Catalina Foothills.
“They’re just playing hard,” said coach Kent Middleton. “They got good team speed. They believe in themselves and got a lot of confidence right now.”
The Lions will open their 3A South schedule on Friday at home against the defending 3A champions, rival Sabino (2-3). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Sabino will be coming off a bye week.
Pusch Ridge has one non-region game remaining at home against Coolidge on Oct. 18.
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