Last year, Ironwood Ridge secured the 5A Sonoran championship with an 18-17 victory over Mountain View at home.
With Ironwood Ridge and Mountain View mere minutes apart, the matchup between the Mountain Lions and Nighthawks has long been considered a rivalry game and as rivalries go, the two teams play each other hard and down to the last second.
Mountain View’s 34-27 win Friday night over Ironwood Ridge met the moment with multiple lead changes and a touchdown to put the Mountain Lions ahead for good with 8.4 seconds left in the game.
With a win, the Nighthawks would have secured a second straight 5A Sonoran championship.
The loss put Ironwood Ridge, Mountain View and Tucson High into a three way tie for first place at 4-1.
The Badgers (8-2) secured the championship as the highest seed heading into next week’s start of the 5A state tournament.
Tucson is the No. 2 seed and will host No. 15 Cienega (5-5). The Badgers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and they have reached eight wins in a season for the first time since 1973.
Ironwood Ridge (8-2) is the No. 5 seed and will host No. 12 Glendale Kellis (9-1).
No. 13 Mountain View (6-4) will travel to face No. 4 Glendale Cactus (7-3).
TUCSON HIGH NO. 2 SEED IN 5A TOURNAMENT
The Badgers are also the 5A Southern region champs via a tiebreaker with a No. 2 power rating opposed to Ironwood Ridge at No. 5. Tucson and IRHS tied with Mountain View at 4-1 in region play.
Friday first round schedule (games at 7 p.m.)… pic.twitter.com/WvwSdJitao— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) November 9, 2024
In Friday’s Ironwood Ridge and Mountain View contest, the Nighthawks struck first. After Ironwood Ridges’s mobile quarterback Jaiden Martinez took off on a 33-yard scamper, Isaac Rhonehouse split the uprights from 42 yards to put the Nighthawks ahead 3-0.
A Martinez-to-Matthew Kroner 4-yard touchdown pass extended the Nighthawks’ lead to 9-0 after the extra point was blocked by the Mountain Lions’ Jason Pogue.
On the ensuing kickoff, Mountain View’s Mateo Elias ran it back 97 yards for a touchdown to get the Mountain Lions on the board.
With 1:09 left in the first quarter, Ironwood Ridge led 9-7.
A Jaiden Martinez to Matthew Kroner touchdown pass gives IRHS a 9-0 lead over MV.. Extra point was blocked.
MV runs back the kickoff for a TD. (Didn’t get a vid of the run back)
1:09 left in the 1st quarter
Ironwood Ridge – 9
Mountain View – 7@AllSportsTucson… pic.twitter.com/bVE7cn6jJs
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 9, 2024
Mountain View was successful with an onside kick with Liam Lewis recovering the ball at the Ironwood Ridge 47, but the Mountain Lions were eventually forced to punt.
Mountain View took their first lead at the 3:51 mark in the second quarter when quarterback Damien Wallace found receiver Emanuel Vigil Castillo open for a 57-yard touchdown, putting the Mountain Lions up 14-9.
Touchdown Mountain View
Damien Wallace to Emanuel Vigil Castillo and the Mountain Lions take the lead.
3:51 left in the half it’s MV 14 – IRHS 9@AllSportsTucson @irhsfbbooster @recruit_theview pic.twitter.com/dkAhNUBFzH
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 9, 2024
Ironwood Ridge had a chance to take the lead into halftime with a first and goal at the 2-yard line but the Mountain Lion defense put together a great goal-line stand. The Nighthawks resorted to a field goal attempt that was off the mark as time expired.
The Nighthawks regained the lead in the third quarter on a Grant Dooling 9-yard touchdown run.
Ironwood Ridge went for the 2-point conversion. Martinez had a great scrambling escape sequence to find Dooling in the end zone to complete the conversion and put the Nighthawks up 17-14.
Back and forth we go!
Jaiden Martinez to Grant Dooling for the IRHS TD
Two point conversion try.. Martinez scrambles, escapes, throws it toward the end zone .. Dooling comes up with the catch. Conversion good!
8:39 left in the third quarter IRHS leads MV 17-14… pic.twitter.com/aSmeJ5p5L1
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 9, 2024
The Nighthawks extended their lead to 24-14 after Corbin Crosby returned an interception 62 yards for a pick-6.
A quarterback keeper by Wallace for a 15-yard touchdown got Mountain View to within three points of the Nighthawks with 38.8 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Mountain View strikes back.. QB keeper by Damien Wallace gets the Mountain Lions back to within 3 points.
38.8 seconds left in the third quarter IRHS leads MV 24-21@AllSportsTucson @irhsfbbooster @recruit_theview pic.twitter.com/cTQNYOL9c6
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 9, 2024
In the fourth quarter, Mountain Lion running back Nicholas Horrocks found a hole through the middle running in from 41 yards for a touchdown putting Mountain View in the lead at 27-24.
With 1:27 left in the game, Ironwood Ridge tied it on a Rhonehouse field goal from 22 yards.
Mountain View would take the lead and the win with 8.4 seconds left when Horrocks muscled over the goal line from the 1. Horrocks had a couple of runs of 14 yards in the drive and Diego Gomez also had a 19-yard gain on an end-round play.
Nicholas Horrocks gets a little help into the end zone and Mountain View leads Ironwood Ridge 34-27 with 8.4 seconds left in the game. @AllSportsTucson @irhsfbbooster @recruit_theview pic.twitter.com/lsCN8Rr6Gy
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 9, 2024
On the last play of the game, Ironwood Ridge hoping for a miracle Hail Mary to tie up the game. The pass was intercepted by Diego Gomez, and a blocking foul was called during the return of the interception return.
Martinez was hit while releasing the pass and was knocked unconscious.
He remained motionless on the field for a long period of time.
Mountain View had time to take one more snap but the officials decided to call the game.
Martinez eventually regained consciousness and was able to move his extremities.
Ironwood Ridge’s players and coaches and coaches from Mountain View remained on the field until an ambulance arrived to transport Martinez to the hospital.
An update on Martinez’s condition provided by Ironwood Ridge Coach Dale Stott reported that Martinez was released from the hospital with a concussion and was home resting.
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