2024 High School Football

Ironwood Ridge remains in hunt for 5A Sonoran title after defense shuts down Maricopa

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Ironwood Ridge huddles during their 20-14 win over Maricopa (Lori Burkhart/AllSportsTucson.com)

If defense wins championships, the No. 5 Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks are well on their way.

The Nighthawks (8-1, 4-0 5A Sonoran) rode the momentum set by their defense to defeat the No. 24 Maricopa Rams 20-14.

“Very proud of our defense. They just played ferociously and did a great job putting pressure all night and we were able to get a lot of game changing sacks,” Ironwood Ridge Coach Dale Stott said of his team’s defensive play.

One of those sacks came late in the first half from David Baba, who broke free around the right side to level Maricopa quarterback Jose Cardona Jr.

“I came off the edge, tried to pick a pass rush off of him and the corner was right where I needed him to be, came in there, made a play,” Baba said on his sack.

Stott has high praise for Baba.

“David Baba is just an amazing individual,” Stott said. “He’s probably the smartest kid in the school, top of his class. He’s recently offered and accepted an offer to the Colorado School of Mines. He wants to be an engineer. He’s super bright. Just an amazing young man.

“He stepped up and moved from tight end to offensive tackle for us when we had an injury and it just saved our season. He’s done a great job for us so we are really proud of him. He’s the kind of individual you always hope for for your son. He’s just a great young man.”

The last and arguably most impactful sack happened in the final minute of the game as Maricopa was driving for the tie and possible win.

Ironwood Ridge pressured Cardona, causing him to roll out. Senior defensive lineman Samuel Kleving tracked down Cardona for a twelve yard loss.

“I faked an inside blitz (and) I was on the line,” Kleving said. “I lined up in a five tech, came outside, he rolled out and I just kept long arming him and I hit that quarterback and sealed that win for the Nighthawks.”

With 7.2 seconds left in the first quarter, Maricopa (4-5, 1-3) took a 7-0 lead after a fumbled snap caused a defensive breakdown by the Nighthawks, allowing Cardona a free lane to the end zone .

Ironwood Ridge answered with 4:29 left in the half when Isaac Rhonehouse hit a field goal.

Two minutes later, after a defensive stop and a short punt by the Rams, Ironwood Ridge quarterback Jaiden Martinez floated a precise pass to receiver Grant Dooling to put the Nighthawks up 10-7 at the half.

Dooling, describing what he saw on the pass from Martinez.

“He (Martinez) looked at me, he said, ‘Can you catch him? Can you beat him?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ And I think it was at the 30 or 40 and he just threw it down there and I caught it on top of (the defender’s) head in the end zone.” he said.

Maricopa took the lead back with 3:10 left in the third quarter when Cardona used a quarterback keeper down the left field line and dove for the pylon resulting in a Rams touchdown.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Nighthawks.

Senior running back Sebastian Serrano had a huge 30-yard run to set up the go-ahead touchdown for the Nighthawks.

On fourth and goal with 5:09 left, Ironwood Ridge took a 17-14 lead when the Nighthawks offensive line got a big push putting Martinez over the goal line.

The final score of the night was another Rhonehouse field goal with 2:35 left in the game.

The win over Maricopa came on Senior Night for the Nighthawks.

“They are an amazing group of young men and I’m proud to coach them,” Stott said. “It’s an honor. I think we are not done, we have another big game next week.”

Dooling added how it feels to win on Senior Night.

“The best part, it’s not just for the players, it’s for the parents, the cheerleaders, the band and the rest of the whole school, the administration. It’s a great win,” he said.

Ironwood Ridge travels to Mountain View Friday to face a Mountain Lion team looking to avenge their 18-17 loss to the Nighthawks in last year’s game that determined the 5A Sonoran title.

“Mentally they are already ready,” Stott said of his players. “They’ve been pointing to this game (Mountain View) all year. We beat Mountain View last year (for) the championship and it was a great game. They are very also a worthy opponent.

“You can throw the records out when these two teams play because it doesn’t matter what they are, it’s going to be a tough game no doubt about it. I have great respect for Mountain View and their coach (Matt Johnson) and players and we are looking for a fun great battle for the fans and hopefully come out on top.”

With a win over Mountain View (5-4, 3-1), the Nighthawks would secure another region championship and be in a position to host a playoff game.

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