2026 High School Football

Si Charro! Football Report: Tucson achieves emotional win over Buena with dramatic finish in overtime

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Tucson celebrates its 24-23 overtime victory over visiting Buena (Javier Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)

FINAL SCORE

Tucson 24, Buena 23, OT

The game was dramatic enough. The storylines associated with it, from a Tucson High perspective, added to the emotion. Tucson’s home game against Buena on Friday night included long drives, key interceptions, long touchdown plays for Buena, successful fake punts for Tucson, two field goals converted in the last minute of regulation, and, ultimately, an overtime finish that came down to a PAT for the Badgers after they stuffed the Colts’ two-point conversion run attempt.

WHAT A FINISH

Ezra Spivey celebrated his birthday by catching the game-tying touchdown pass in overtime and then became the holder for Waleed Al Jashami’s game-winning extra point as the Badgers stunned Buena 24-23 at Gridley Stadium.

“This means a lot,” Spivey said. “They (an unspecified media agency) said we were going to go 1-9. You see what happened. We’re 3-1 right now.”

The last two wins have been thrillers, including 35-31 over Walden Grove at Gridley Stadium last week.

Al Jashami had already put Tucson in position to win in regulation, connecting on a 38-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining to give the Badgers a 17-14 lead.

Buena’s Chase Verplanck answered with a successful 44-yard attempt when time expired in regulation, forcing overtime. The play was set up by a pass interference call that enabled the Colts to go deeper into Tucson territory in a short period of time.

The Colts had the first possession in overtime. In high school, the teams get the ball at the 10-yard line. Buena’s James Lesueur scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on the first play of overtime.

Buena coach Chris Determan elected to try a 2-point conversion. Spivey and Dillion Flannigan-Jones combined on tackle to prevent the ball carrier from reaching the end zone.

Tucson had a third down at the 6 when Brenton Coleman connected with Spivey for the touchdown that tied the game at 23.

With Spivey holding, Al Jashami delivered the game-winning PAT and it was bedlam on the field for the Badgers.

“I was just doing it for the love of the game,” Al Jashami said about the PAT. “Diamonds are made under pressure, so I just went out there. It’s a routine thing for me so I just went out there and did my thing and didn’t think too much of it.”

Spivey said the victory carried more meaning because of practice affected this week by weather and coach Zach Neveleff in Las Vegas tending to family needs after the recent passing of his mom.

“Our team worked hard all week,” Spivey said. “We didn’t have practice. We got rained out. It meant a lot to us. … We knew what we had to do to execute our jobs.

EMOTIONAL NEVELEFF REFLECTS ON WIN

Neveleff’s birthday was also on Friday, his first without his mother.

Diana Lee Torrejon of Summerlin, Nev., passed away on Aug. 15 at the age of 75 after battling breast cancer. A GoFundMe account at https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-beautiful-farewell-for-diana-lee-torrejon has been set up to help with funeral costs.

When asked about the dramatic finish and what it means to him after spending some time in Las Vegas during the week and spreading his mom’s ashes at Sedona, Neveleff said, “That’s why football is so great.”

“This year’s been tough,” he added. “Losing your mom is never easy. Nothing prepares you for that type of grief. It has been extremely difficult for me and my family.

“Faith, family and football — I get my family here this week. I know my mom was with me and is always with me. It’s just tough. You wish you had that call on your birthday. You wish you have these type of moment you get to see her, love her, hold her. But that’s life. One of my mom’s favorite quotes in the last 10 years is, ‘Sometimes our greatest blessing in life is death.’ I didn’t understand that for a long time, but now I do. She’s at peace now. I love her.”

A memorial service for his mother was held at Starr Pass on Saturday.

EBBS AND FLOWS OF GAME BUILT DRAMA

Tucson’s opening possession took more than 6 minutes went all the way to the Buena 1-yard line, but the Colts’ defense came up with the stop. Jake Richardson made a touchdown-saving tackle on a quarterback keeper, stopping Tucson just short of the goal line.

That gave an indication that nothing will come easily in the game.

The Colts reached the Tucson 19 on the ensuing possession before Romelo Arandules intercepted a pass at the Tucson 12 to end the threat.

Coleman connected with Arandules for a 42-yard pass, taking the Badgers to the Buena 20. But the drive again ended without points when Tucson was stopped on downs.

With 11:02 left in the second quarter, Lesueur broke through for a 46-yard touchdown run, giving the Colts a 7-0 lead.

An interception by Jaiden Denson returned to the Buena 2 with 3:52 left in half set up Tavion Wells’ 1-yard touchdown run three plays later to tie the game at 7 with 1:42 left.

Spivey’s 27-yard pass to Amare Noble on a successful fake punt set up an eventual 3-yard touchdown run by Flannigan-Jones with 4:13 left in the third quarter that put Tucson up 14-7.

Buena quarterback Colton Garrett connected on an 85-yard touchdown pass to Giovanni Henderson that tied the game at 14 with 11:45 remaining.

Coleman’s 21-yard pass to Noble helped set up Al Jashami’s 38-yard field goal with 56 seconds left.

Verplanck’s 44-yard field goal, aided by a pass interference call, followed to send the game to overtime.

“The Football Gods wanted more football,” Neveleff said. “Just the excitement from the players. The wins are never for me, it’s for them. They’re so excited. They run in (to the field). That’s first time I’ve been really excited in a long time.

“Winning a game in overtime by a kick. There’s not a lot of things that get me really animated and motivated, but that’s one of them. I’ve seen a thousand touchdowns. To ice the game with a kick in overtime. All of our fans are here, my family’s here. It was awesome.”

NEXT WEEK

Tucson will host Vista Grande (3-1) for Homecoming in a 5A Sonoran matchup.

Buena (2-2, 0-1 5A Sonoran) will take on Marana (2-2, 1-0) at Sierra Vista.

Both games are at 7 p.m.

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