TEMPE — Mica Mountain reserve quarterback Jaidyn Crist broke free for what appeared to be a touchdown in the waning seconds of the Thunderbolts’ rout of Arizona College Prep in the 4A state championship game.
Instead of scoring his first rushing touchdown of the season, an ideal way to reward his work as a bench player in a championship season, Crist thought of his injured senior captain Conner Hangartner.
Crist finished his 28-yard run sliding at the 3-yard line. He immediately stood and gestured toward the sideline for Hangartner to come onto the field for the Victory Formation for the game’s last play in Mica Mountain’s 42-13 victory at Arizona State’s Mountain America Stadium.
It’s well-documented that Hangartner, out for the season with an ACL tear he suffered in Mica Mountain’s opener, kneeled to end the game the two weeks prior against Phoenix Thunderbird in the quarterfinals and Yuma Catholic in the semifinals. He put on his uniform only with that hope in mind. His doctor did not clear him to play in live action.
Crist provided Hangartner the opportunity to be on the field for the last snap of Hangartner’s career.
“Such a standup guy, man,” Hangartner stated of Crist. “The kind of guy you want in your program. Can’t thank him enough for letting me do it.”
Crist mentioned that it meant a lot to him for his slide to provide the Victory Formation opportunity.
“Conner’s has done everything for me,” Crist stated. “He’s been a great leader and role model ever since I stepped foot on Mica Mountain. He’s always included me and had my back.
“I wanted to go down so Conner can get in during the state championship and end his senior year the way we all imagined it — with the ball in his hands and with a knee. That was more special than me scoring.”
Crist is the lone returner at quarterback next season with Jayden Thoreson and Caleb Cherry graduating.
“I wouldn’t change next year,” Crist said about keeping his team-first mentality. “Mica is in my hands!”
Let’s make this sh*t go #viral !This kid has more heart for this game than anyone I know and this play deserves attention!! @KVOA @Sports360AZ @AZSPORTSNETWORK @KOLDNews @whatsuptucson @MicaMountainFB @SOAZFootball @gridironarizona @throwitdeepAZ @AZCardinals @ASU @Fletcher_UofA https://t.co/yuQUbVkoI7 pic.twitter.com/fzvQQQi1tx
— Sheena, BBHSc/SUDS (@AZGirlatHrt2) December 7, 2024
MIDDLETON, NUGENT ADD TO LIST OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA COACHES WITH STATE TITLES
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Pusch Ridge coach Kent Middleton won his first state title in only his fifth year as head coach when the Lions defeated ALA-West Foothills in the 3A state championship game last week at Glendale.
It took Mica Mountain coach Pat Nugent longer, achieving the feat in his 22nd year on Friday night with the victory over AZ College Prep. Nugent, however, was already a legend now with 172 career victories with numerous region titles, a spot in the 2007 state championship game with CDO and two No. 1 seeds with Cienega and Jamarye Joiner in 2016 and 2017.
Following Middleton’s title last week, Nugent became the 41st coach in the history of Southern Arizona to earn a state championship since St. David’s Jim Crawford won the first in 1960.
Within the Tucson area (not including all of Southern Arizona), Nugent is the 24th coach to win a state championship. Pueblo’s Lou Farber was the first in this regard in 1961.
A member of Nugent’s staff at Mica Mountain — offensive line coach Richard Sanchez — won state titles at Sunnyside as the head coach in 2001 and 2003.
He joined Nugent’s staff in 2022 in the Thunderbolt’s first full varsity season.
“It was a lot of work,” Sanchez said after Friday’s win, “but it was all worth it.”
TUCSON FOUR STATE TITLES IN TWO YEARS AFTER SEVEN-YEAR DROUGHT
Thank you @ZimmermannWyatt for sharing this photo of a tweet I made in September 2023 of Sabino defensive coordinator Mike Wells wearing a “2015” shirt signifying that Pusch Ridge was the last Southern Arizona team to win a state title that year and the Sabercats yearned to break pic.twitter.com/1QgtoY3NBA
— Javier Morales (@) December 7, 2024
After a seven-year period without a state title following Pusch Ridge’s championship in 2015, teams from the Tucson area have four titles in the last two seasons — Sabino (3A) and CDO (4A) last season and Pusch Ridge (3A) and Mica Mountain (4A) this season.
The total could have been three this season had Marana (10-1) not played in the Open Division — in which it was the No. 1 seed — and was in the 5A state tournament instead.
We’ll never know.
The only other time multiple Tucson-area teams won a state championship in consecutive years was in 1975 and 1976:
— Amphi (AAA) and Flowing Wells (AA) in 1975
— CDO (AA) and ASDB (C) in 1976
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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