by 
Bulldogs’ receiver Armon McGuire makes a diving attempt to make the catch behind two Nighthawks’ defenders. Luberda | Ledger
Southeast Valley Ledger
Third-ranked Ironwood Ridge and No. 5 Queen Creek combined to score 91 points last Friday night in a game ultimately won by the Bulldogs, who dugout of an early 14 – 0 hole to pull out the 49 – 42 victory.
“This is what we needed to kind of turn the corner,” said an emotional Bulldogs’ head coach Travis Schureman after the win, which put his team atop the section standings. “I thought our kids just battled – never gave up – and that’s what we’ve been looking for. We took a big step forward tonight.”
Already trailing 7 – 0, the Bulldogs fell behind further after Ironwood Ridge’s Harrison Beemiller sacked and stripped quarterback Kaleb Honea, picked up the ball, and returned 55-yards go give the Nighthawks a 14 – 0 lead just over midway through the first quarter.
The Bulldogs responded, however, scoring the next 10 points on a six-yard touchdown run by Jace Koester and booming 50-yard field goal by Zach Glaess.
After Ironwood Ridge increased their lead to 21-10 with just less than two minutes left in the half, Honea connected with junior receiver Ian Woods on a 39-yard touchdown pass and catch. The two-point PAT left the Bulldogs trailing at halftime, 21 – 18.
Honea finished the game with over 320 passing yards, three touchdown passes, and no interceptions in what was undoubtedly his performance to date.
Glaess drilled a 30-yard field goal to tie the game on Queen Creek’s first possession of the second half, which was highlighted by a 39-yard run by senior running back Gavin Danielson.
The game turned in the Bulldogs favor when senior Zane Whiting, who received a scholarship offer earlier in the week to Adams State University, came up with a 35-yard pick-six to give his team its first lead of the game, 28 – 21.
The two teams went back and forth after Whiting’s big play. The tied three more times in the second half – at 28, 35, and 42 – before the Bulldogs made a few more big plays to decide the outcome.
A Zach Glaess interception with 2:43 remaining in the game setup a go-ahead 36-yard touchdown pass from Honea to Ian Woods, their second of the game. After Glaess kicked the PAT the Bulldogs held a 49 – 42 lead.
The Nighthawks wouldn’t go away quietly, converting on two fourth-down plays on their final drive, which took them into Queen Creek territory. But Honea end the threat and ultimately the game when he came up with the Bulldogs’ third interception of the game to seal the win.
“From April until the beginning of the season, our coaches pushed us and conditioned us so that we would be ready for games like this,” Glaess said after the game.
“They’re gutsy. They are gutsy kids who work hard and the kind of players we love at Queen Creek,” added Schureman about his senior trio of Honea, Whiting, and Glaess, who each made key interceptions in the game. “They battle every day and get better. We talk as a team about getting better every week and I think we did this week.”
The victory puts the Bulldogs in the driver’s seat in the sectional standings. They control their own destiny to win the Section V Championship and the accompanying automatic berth in the state playoffs. They also figure to move up in the division rankings with a chance to host their first two playoff games.
“We don’t talk a lot about the section championship,” Schureman said. “It was a good win, but we still have a couple of tough section games left with Canyon del Oro and Poston Butte. We’re excited for the opportunity (in front of us).”
Perhaps lost in the excitement of the victory was the performance of the Bulldogs’ offense, which had been mercurial in its previous six games. They racked up almost 500 yards in their highest-scoring game of the season.
“We played great,” Schureman said. “To put that many points up against (Ironwood Ridge) – they haven’t given up a lot of points – it was a good all-around performance (Friday night).”
The Bulldogs host Canyon del Oro this week. The Dorados are coming off their second win of the season after defeating Poston Butte last week, 34 – 28.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
by by