Wildcats have ‘just enough’ for 10-3 win

by Jason Stone

SurpriseLights.com

Sept. 21, 2007

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how you won, just that you won.

Willow Canyon had one of those moments Thursday night when the Wildcats had “just enough” to hold off Camelback 10-3 in a non-region game in Surprise.

“Just enough about sums up this week,” relieved coach Michael Hudnutt said after his defense held on with two stands in the final minutes to pull out the victory.

On a night not typically associated with high school football, Willow Canyon picked up its third win in four games, but didn’t always look like a winning team during the game. The Wildcats continued their early-season habit of reeling off lengthy, time-consuming drives on offense, but failing to score on them.

But the defense bailed out the offense. A safety provided the only scoring in the first half, and the unit held an opponent without a touchdown for the second time this season. The first came in a Week 2 shutout of Tolleson.

“We started slow tonight but we came together,” said two-way player Justin Jones, who was part of a defense that didn’t allow Camelback, a team that scored 61 points last week, to break many big plays. “It only matters that we win it, not how we win it.”

To be fair, both teams missed on opportunities and the outcome could have went either way despite Willow Canyon holding the lead from the safety to the end of the game.

The safety came midway through the second quarter after Camelback started a possession at the 1-yard line. Willow Canyon has previously mounted a drive from midfield – thanks largely to a Trey Clarida to B.J. Scott 37-yard pass completion – but the Wildcats were held on downs just inches from the end zone.

On the first play, a host of Willow Canyon swarmed Camelback’s running back and tackled him into the end zone for a 2-0 lead.

The teams traded punts before Camelback missed a field goal on the final play of the first half.

Willow Canyon came out of the break refocused after halftime, driving down the field in less than four minutes to score the only touchdown of the game.

Using a play Hudnutt said he put in the playbook this week, Clarida ran a play-action on third-and-2 and found receiver Chris Robinson behind the defense for a 48-yard touchdown (see photo, right). A 2-point conversion run put the score at 10-0.

It stayed that way until six minutes later when Camelback got on the board with a 33-yard field goal.

Willow Canyon took over and tried to ice the game with a long scoring drive. It ended up being long and time consuming, but the score never materialized as the Cats were stopped on downs at the Camelback 5.

The teams traded punts before Camelback took over with 3:27 left in the game. Camelback's Michael Liggins nearly broke free down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown, but was forced out of bounds after 37.

He did make it into Willow Canyon territory, however, putting the pressure on the Cats’ defense to make one last stand.

The defense did just that when on fourth down Justin Weber picked off a desperation pass at the 4-yard line with just over a minute to go. Willow Canyon then ran out the clock on offense.

“I told our guys (Camelback) was going to be a good team,” Hudnutt said. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. A win is a win. Our team didn’t quit. We’re just not playing the brand of football I hoped we would be playing.”

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