TEMPE — It was another joyous bus ride home for the Salpointe Catholic Lancers on Friday night after picking up a 43-14 victory over Corona del Sol. Behind a huge night by senior Nathan Spivey for special teams, a solid performance by both the offense and the defense, the Lancers are now sitting at 4-1 overall.
After losing its season opener at Marana, the No. 1 team in 5A and the Open Division, Salpointe (2-0 in the 6A Central) has won four consecutive games, including the last three in the Phoenix area against Peoria Centennial, Phoenix Desert Vista and Corona del Sol.
“We’re just trying to get a little better every week,” Salpointe coach Pat Ryden said. “It goes back to our offensive line. Those guys just work their ass off every week and we’re just trying to get a little bit better everywhere.”
Corona del Sol (1-5, 0-1) won the coin toss and elected to defer, putting the ball in the Lancers’ hands first. It was a rough possession for Salpointe, as a fumble on the snap on second-and-10 resulted in a loss of 18. It was ultimately too much for the Lancers to overcome, punting the ball away with 10:25 left in the first quarter.
The Aztecs took over at Salpointe’s 45, but a false start right out of the gate set them back to the 50. On third down, Salpointe was able to get to the quarterback to take him down for a loss of 13, resulting in a punt.
Salpointe looked to hit the reset button prior to their next possession, as they came out poised and were able to execute. After three consecutive runs by senior Richard Rivera for 25 total yards, the Lancers were able to get on the board with a 45-yard pass from junior Rayce Alvarez to senior Morgan Quiri. The extra-point attempt by senior Kyah Francone was good, giving Salpointe a 7-0 lead with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Corona’s next possession resulted in a quick three-and-out, forcing them to punt. Spivey was ready to field the ball, taking it to the house to extend the Lancers’ lead with 4:24 remaining in the first quarter. The kick by Francone was good, making it 14-0 Salpointe.
Looking to erase the goose egg off the board, Corona was able to continue chopping away at the chains as it was driving down the field. Eating up nearly seven minutes off the clock, the Aztecs capped off the possession with a 2-yard touchdown by Domonick Ruiz. The extra-point attempt was good, making it 14-7 with 9:19 left before the half.
Salpointe’s following drive saw the Lancers reach the Corona del Sol 25, but unfortunately it wasn’t able to keep the ball moving into the red zone. With 3:32 remaining in the half, the Lancers settled for a 42-yard field goal by Francone to extend the lead to 17-7.
Following a quick three-and-out for Corona, a high snap on the punt resulted in a fumble which rolled out the back of the end zone. The result was a safety, putting Salpointe up 19-7 with approximately 1:20 remaining in the first half.
On the kickoff, the ball soared into Spivey’s hands and he took off. Juking defenders, Spivey was able to take the ball all the way back for a touchdown. Deciding to go for two, Rivera was able to punch the ball in to convert. With 1:05 still remaining in the half, Salpointe Catholic was on top 27-7.
“[Spivey] does what he does,” Ryden said. “He’s a special player, and I think everybody knows that… He’s a great player and he does everything for us.”
Corona got the ball coming out of the locker room, but Salpointe defense was dialed in. On the third snap of the drive, Axel Martinez was able to pick the ball off to give the Lancers possession with 11:27 remaining in the third quarter.
Following another successful drive, the Lancers were able to close it out with a 13-yard touchdown run from sophomore RJ Gory. The kick by Francone was good, extending the lead to 34-7 with 7:35 remaining in the third.
On the following drive for Corona, more trouble would ensue as yet another fumble on the snap would result in the second safety of the night. With exactly 6:00 remaining, the Lancers would take a 36-7 lead.
With 1:57 remaining in the third quarter, the Lancers would strike yet again. This time, the touchdown blow would come on a five-yard run by sophomore Charles Chaney. Francone’s kick was again up and in, making it 43-7.
Up by more than 35 points in the third quarter, the clock started running for the remainder of the game.
Corona got the ball back and was able to make its way down the field. Cutting away at Salpointe’s lead, Ruiz had a 32-yard catch for a touchdown. The extra point was good, making it 43-14 with 9:15 remaining.
Salpointe’s following possession ate away a good chunk of the remaining time left on the clock before the Lancers ultimately turned the ball over on downs at the 30 with 3:30 remaining in the game.
In a last-ditch effort to put up one more touchdown, the Aztecs also went for it on fourth down but couldn’t convert. Salpointe got the ball back, lined up in victory formation and kneeled the ball down for the win.
The Lancers now stare down a tough back half of the schedule; A schedule in which every win counts due to playing only nine games. Salpointe will now get back to practice to prepare for a tough Peoria Liberty team (5-1) in a game Friday.
“Obviously, they’re a very good football team and it’s a tremendous challenge for us,” Ryden said. “We came out and didn’t play the best against them last year, and I just want our guys to let loose and play.”
Ryden said that they’re going to have to have a great week at practice and that next week will determine just how good the Lancers really are this season.
Kickoff for the game at Ed Doherty Stadium is at 7 p.m.
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