Ironwood Ridge earned its first win of the season on homecoming night, defeating 5A Sonoran rival Canyon del Oro 24-6 on Friday.
The Nighthawks (1-4, 1-1) set the tone immediately, capping off an 82-yard game-opening drive with a touchdown. They held CDO (2-3, 0-2) scoreless for three quarters before finally pulling away in the fourth.
“It’s great. I’m really happy for the kids to get the win,” Ironwood Ridge head coach Dale Stott said. “They’ve worked really hard, and they’re a better football team than their record suggests.”
Ironwood Ridge head coach Dale Stott believes the the Nighthawks are right in the mix in 5A Sonoran after a 24-6 win over CDO. pic.twitter.com/nvOYnvjBgM
— Kevin Murphy (@KevinMurfee) September 27, 2025
In his second start of the season, sophomore quarterback Maximus Harder continued to build momentum after last week’s 41-40 loss at Casa Grande, where he completed 14 of 23 passing attempts for 356 yards with five touchdowns. Against CDO, Harder threw for one touchdown and added another on the ground.
He spoke about the developing connection with his receivers, a rapport he hopes will continue when the Nighthawks host Marana next week.
“Being a new starting QB, we’ve been having to work out the connections the last two weeks,” Harder said. “Last week we did really good. This week we came into it again and started off hot, and back to it next week.”
Ironwood Ridge sophomore quarterback Maximus Harder took the momentum from a 356-yard, 5 TD game at Casa Grande last week into a 24-6 win over CDO Friday. @AllSportsTucson pic.twitter.com/fpNaTCWJgA
— Kevin Murphy (@KevinMurfee) September 27, 2025
The Nighthawks built their lead throughout the first half. Kicker Isaac Rhonehouse delivered a 21-yard field goal early in the second quarter to give Ironwood Ridge a 10-0 lead. On the defensive side, Corbin Crosby had a crucial interception near midfield late in the half.
Stott was quick to praise defensive coordinator Scott Cortese and the defense, which forced two key turnovers.
“They were huge. This was their best performance of the year, and they were outstanding,” Stott said. “They got turnovers for us, they made some key tackles and great breakups on passes. I couldn’t be prouder.”
CDO’s only score came early in the fourth quarter on Cash Dickey’s 10-yard touchdown reception. The Dorados, however, missed the PAT, making it a one-possession game at 10-6.
After trading turnovers on the next two drives, Harder connected with Zarin Robbins for a 43-yard pass, setting up the Nighthawks’ next score. Jaiden Martinez then extended Ironwood Ridge’s lead to 17-6 with an 11-yard touchdown reception with about eight minutes remaining.
“After CDO got their offense going, it just shows how much we don’t back down at all. We came out hot that next drive, and we scored,” Martinez said.
Jaiden Martinez had a touchdown reception late in the game that reversed momentum CDO had going. @AllSportsTucson pic.twitter.com/qUNlAiEMY9
— Kevin Murphy (@KevinMurfee) September 27, 2025
A 1-yard touchdown run by Cruz Valdivia with under a minute left sealed the 24-6 victory for Ironwood Ridge.
Despite the 1-4 start to the season, Stott remains optimistic about his team’s potential to win the region.
“We feel like we’re right in the mix,” he said. “We’ve got two tough games ahead, but we’re looking to try to be region champs.”
Ironwood Ridge hosts Marana (4-1, 2-0) and CDO hosts Casa Grande Vista Grande (2-2, 0-0) on Oct. 3 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.
Recommended for you
