Salpointe Catholic put up a strong defensive performance in a 28-7 win against Marana in a season-opening matchup of two of the best programs in Southern Arizona on Thursday night at Tiger Field.
This is the fourth year in a row the two teams opened up their seasons against each other and Salpointe now holds a 3-1 edge. The Lancers have won 30 of their last 31 games against Southern Arizona opponents. Marana stopped the Lancers’ streak of 27 straight wins against teams from Southern Arizona two years ago.
Marana’s offense with former quarterback Colten Meyer was much more potent at that time.
Salpointe limited three different Marana quarterbacks to 89 yards passing on 13 of 24 completions with two interceptions and no touchdowns. The Tigers mustered only 60 yards on the ground on 19 carries, giving them just 149 yards in total offense.
“We kept our mouths shut, went straight to work, and then we came out here tonight; we came out hard. It was a fight, but we ended up on top; that’s all that matters,” said junior cornerback Jeremiah Wells, who had a pick-6 for Salpointe.
It was a quiet first quarter for both teams, exchanging several punts.
The first big play of the game went in Marana’s favor with an interception by junior Grant Folwell.
Marana failed to capitalize on the turnover, giving the ball back to Salpointe.
The Lancers got on the board first with 2:27 left in the second quarter with a 47-yard touchdown run from senior Adrian Jett, who finished with 77 yards on four carries.
On the Tigers’ first ensuing offensive play after the Jett score, Wells read the route perfectly, grabbing an interception and returning it 30 yards for the touchdown That gave Salpointe a 14-0 lead with 2:08 remaining in the half.
The pick-6 led to a quarterback switch for Marana, bringing in sophomore Isaac Flores.
Marana looked to get things going in the second half. Starting with an interception from senior Walter Evans-Gonzalez, who returned the pick 20 yards to the Salpointe 34.
The interception amounted to nothing. On 4th and goal, the Lancer defense came up with their second interception of the night, this time from senior Soren Goodman in the end zone.
With over a minute left in the third quarter, junior Carter Meyer, brother of Colten Meyer, now at Northern State, got the Tigers on the board with a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown. That play cut the lead to 14-7 and it appeared Marana had seized momentum.
The Lancers had other plans; senior Jake Bondi returned the kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, bringing the lead back up to 14 points heading into the fourth quarter.
Salpointe put the game out of reach with a 1-yard touchdown run from senior OJ Flores making the score 28-7 with 3:41 remaining.
“This is what I do,” Flores said after scoring.
What’s next?
Salpointe Catholic heads home next Friday to face longtime rival Tucson High.
“We have a really tough schedule this year, so as long as we keep our heads down, just keep grinding, everything is going to come out for us,” Wells said.
Marana looks to bounce back on the road next Friday against 5A state runner-up Waddell Canyon View. Both games kick off at 7:00 p.m.
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