2025 High School Football

Mica Mountain holds off Walden Grove, claims 4A Kino lead

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Mica Mountain has won its last three games after losing two games in September. (Kevin Murphy / All Sports Tucson)

Mica Mountain held off a late surge by Walden Grove to defeat the Red Wolves 20-14 in a 4A Kino region game Friday night.

The Thunderbolts extended their lead to 20-7 in the fourth quarter with a 12-yard touchdown run by Colin Axford. Walden Grove responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dobson, making it a one-possession game with about four minutes remaining, but Mica Mountain defensive back Nic Regina later sealed the victory with an interception.

The win on Friday was Mica Mountain’s third-straight since dropping its only losses of the season: two road games at ALA-West Foothills and Sunnyside in September. The Thunderbolts have since beaten Sahuarita 31-0 and Douglas 40-0 during the winning streak.

“We had that rough patch in weeks three and four of the season. A lot of people counted us out, and a lot of people doubted that we had the ability to come back and rebound on our season, but to the credit of the kids, they’ve bought into what we’ve been doing,” Mica Mountain head coach Jay Campos said. “They’ve been working hard and taking the coaching to heart, and we’ve gotten better, that’s the bottom line.”

Campos specifically pointed to the play of the offensive line as a major reason for the Thunderbolts’ success Friday. He also credits the unit for the turnaround this season.

“We were pretty beat up early, and we had a lot of different versions of our offensive line. We’ve now built some continuity, and we’ve had the same line in tact for the last three weeks,” he said.

Mica Mountain senior receiver, safety and special teams standout Riley Carson said said the team’s seniors knew what was at stake Friday, understanding the game’s region and playoff implications. The Thunderbolts held off Walden Grove 16-6 in its toughest region game last season.

“This was huge for me and a lot of our seniors. In our opinion, this was going to be one of our toughest region games, and if we won this game it would put us in a really good spot for our region,” he said. “So, this meant a lot to us, especially with the power points that this game held. If we lost this game, it would have been a struggle to make a decent playoff spot, so us pulling out this victory shows what kind of team we are.”

Carson discussed the leadership role he stepped into as a senior following last season’s 4A state title run, detailing the challenges the team faced under new head coach Campos, who replaced the retired Pat Nugent. Campos had been in an administrative role with Mica Mountain since 2020, overseeing interscholastic operations. His last stint as a head coach at Sabino ended in 2016 with a run to the 3A state championship game.

“We had a lot of four-year starters that were great leaders for our team last year, and I was able to pick up certain things from them,” Carson said. “Obviously when we have a new coach and we go on that losing spree, our players put our heads down but it was on our leaders — me, J.C., (senior quarterback Jaidyn Crist) Broden (senior linebacker Broden Schmidt), and whoever else wanted to step up, Kaden Watson— we stepped up the leadership in the weight room and we really put it together on the field this week.”

Campos praised the value of having Carson and other senior leaders on the roster this season, including Schmidt, and senior defensive end and receiver Bryce Gillmore.

“He (Carson) puts a lot of effort into it. Everything we do — from the weight room to the way we prepare, to the way we have our meetings — he’s the guy that people look up to because he’s been through the hard games before and come out on the good side of it. His leadership is instrumental to our football team,” Campos said.

Mica Mountain head coach Jay Campos addresses his team after the win on Friday. (Kevin Murphy / All Sports Tucson)

Mica Mountain (5-2, 2-0) jumped out to an early lead, scoring on the game’s opening drive with a 43-yard field goal from Carson.

Walden Grove’s early attempt at trickery backfired when the Mica Mountain defense stopped a fake punt near midfield.

Early in the second quarter, a sack by Walden Grove’s Miguel Aboyte and Nicholas Roberts forced a turnover on downs. The Red Wolves’ offense then found rhythm, with a 26-yard quarterback keeper from Gauge Abalos setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Dominic Sanchez, giving Walden Grove a 7-3 lead with seven minutes remaining before halftime.

Mica Mountain regained the lead at 10-7 on a 14-yard touchdown run by Axford with two minutes left in the half.

Mica Mountain missed a 44-yard field goal on its first drive of the second half. After a back-and-forth third quarter riddled with penalties for both teams, the Thunderbolts kicked a 41-yard field to extend its lead to 13-7 with 10 minutes remaining.

On the following drive, Walden Grove (4-3, 1-1) fumbled and Mica Mountain recovered the ball on the Red Wolves’ 31-yard line, setting up Axford’s second touchdown of the game.

After Dobson’s late touchdown reception, the Red Wolves forced a crucial punt deep in Mica Mountain territory. Walden Grove got one final opportunity from the Thunderbolts’ 40-yard line with 2:25 remaining, but a fourth-down pass to the end zone was intercepted by Regina.

Mica Mountain hosts Amphi (2-5, 0-2) and Walden Grove plays at Catalina Foothills (3-4, 1-1) next Friday at 7 p.m.

FOLLOW @KEVINMURFEE ON TWITTER! ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com writer Kevin Murphy was born and raised in Tucson, and has followed Arizona Wildcats athletics since childhood. Murphy is a journalist product manager with the Green Valley News the Sahuarita Sun. He has a bachelor’s degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU.

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