Late Goaline Stand Lifts Marcos De Niza Past Tempe 36-30

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TEMPE, Ariz. – Marcos de Niza rallied from early adversity and held off a late Tempe turnaround to earn a 36-30 win Thursday night.

The first quarter started off hot; Tempe started with the ball and immediately took advantage of that opportunity.

On the first play of the game, senior quarterback Jaleel West connected with senior athlete Nemo Calvin over the middle for a long touchdown.

The Buffaloes led 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Marcos de Niza was able to respond on its next possession after a lengthy first drive.

After driving inside the 50-yard line, senior athlete DeVaughn Traylor came up with a huge catch on fourth down to keep their drive alive.

The drive was finished off with a touchdown after Marcos de Niza sophomore athlete

Jah'Kiem Gipson rushed his way into the end zone from about 10 yards out.

After the extra point attempt was blocked by Tempe, the Padres remained behind 6-7 just about halfway into the quarter.

Tempe answered with another successful drive, capitalized by the quarterback's rushing ability.

During the drive, a fake punt occurred where West kept the ball and rushed it for a first down.

After a long rush by West set up the Buffaloes on the 1-yard line, they went to him once again on a quarterback sneak for their second touchdown of the night.

The touchdown extended Tempe’s lead to 14-6 with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Marcos de Niza started their drive right as the first quarter came to an end.

The Padres continued to respond, finding their rhythm throughout the passing game once again and using Gipson and freshman athlete Toniketisi Latu to create lanes.

Shortly after, junior quarterback Brigham Brown connected with Traylor on a contested ball for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

The Padres went for the two-point conversion and converted after Brown connected with Traylor once again, tying the game at 14-14.

Tempe looked to stay ahead after driving down the field once again.

After multiple rushes to sophomore running back John Walter Ramos, they found themselves once again in scoring range.

However, the Padres’ defense came up with multiple stops alongside a few penalties, causing the Buffaloes to attempt a field goal that was unsuccessful.

The Padres capitalized on the opportunity after Brown found sophomore wide receiver Jaydin Parrilla wide open in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Padres had their first lead of the night at 21-14 with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.

The score remained 21-14 heading into halftime; Marcos de Niza received the ball to begin the third quarter.

The third quarter started off differently from the rest of the game, as both defenses began to be more effective.

The Padres were quickly forced to punt the ball back to the Buffaloes.

Tempe had a little more success to start the half.

They made their way inside the 20-yard line after West chucked the ball up to senior wide receiver Terran Sprewell.

However, Tempe failed to capitalize, missing another field goal attempt and turning possession back over to the Padres.

On their following drive, though, Tempe finally broke through this time, when Ramos broke free for a 25-yard rushing touchdown.

After the extra point, the Buffaloes had tied the game again at 21-21 with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Shortly after, when Marcos de Niza took over possession offensively, Tempe junior defensive back Henry Cray came up with a huge interception.

The interception put the Buffaloes inside the 50-yard line.

Tempe looked to capitalize on the turnover after West had a long rush once again, putting the Buffaloes on the 1-yard line.

West rushed his way into the end zone on a quarterback sneak.

However, once again the PAT attempt was no good.

West’s touchdown gave Tempe a 27-21 lead with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Marcos de Niza answered immediately after senior athlete Christian Garcia broke through the Tempe defense for a 75-yard rushing touchdown.

The successful extra point put the Padres back in front 28-27 with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Tempe took over late in the third quarter and finished with a bang after West threw a beautiful deep ball to Calvin, putting the Buffaloes inside the 5-yard line as the clock expired.

However, Tempe wasn’t able to get into the end zone on this drive and settled for a field goal.

Senior athlete Jaiden Hart-Rodriguez took the lead back for Tempe, changing the score to 30-28 with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Marcos de Niza was able to march their way down the field once again, utilizing the rushing power of Garcia, Gipson and Latu along the way.

With just under eight minutes remaining in the quarter, Brown connected with Traylor, who juked two defenders out on his way to the endzone.

The Padres' two-point conversion attempt succeeded, extending their lead to 36-30.

Tempe took back possession and marched down the field, chewing up the clock.

However, the Padres' defense caught up to West on a crucial fourth down with just under five minutes remaining.

Marcos de Niza then took advantage of their running game once again, as Garcia broke out for two runs that drained the rest of the clock.

The Padres were able to take the victory in the close matchup in a 36-30 finish.

“They scored on the very first play of the game; momentum was in their favor, and we stayed on course; we were composed,” Marcos de Niza head coach Anthony Figueroa mentioned following the game.

Next up: 8-2 Marcos de Niza awaits their playoff seeding and matchup. 8-2 Tempe awaits their fate if they made their way into the postseason.