Mica Mountain dominates #1 Arcadia to repeat as 4A Champs

The Mica Mountain Thunderbolts took down the undefeated Arcadia Titans 42-17 to claim their second straight 4A title.

Early on, the 4A championship game went back and forth between both teams. 

The first drive for Mica Mountain was rough, as on their opening drive, they had multiple penalties and went three and out. 

After Arcadia forced the three-and-out, they were set up with field position in Mica Mountain’s territory. 

The Titans took full advantage of the opportunity as they moved down the field. They found the end zone when senior quarterback Zach Smith connected with senior running back Ryan Jimenez for a 10-yard touchdown. 

Mica Mountain then dominated the rest of the first quarter.

On their second drive of the game, the Thunderbolts got on the board. 

The scoring drive was capped off by senior quarterback Jaidyn Crist connecting with senior athlete Evan Wheeler for a 29-yard touchdown. 

Things went from good to great for Mica Mountain just moments after scoring their first touchdown.

It was their defense this time, coming through when their senior defensive end, Sergio Raygada, tipped the pass from Arcadia to himself and scored a pick-six to give the Thunderbolts their first lead of the game. 

The play seemed to be a statement for Mica Mountain’s defense as they knew they had to be prepared against a high-powered Arcadia offense. 

“I feel like with that we turned the game over,” Raygada said. “We picked up momentum, and it was on from there.”

Arcadia was able to recover after the turnover, as on their next drive, they cut Mica Mountain’s lead. 

The Titans got in field goal range and senior kicker Caleb Young squeaked in a 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

After their defense allowed a field goal, Mica Mountains' offense wasted no time adding to their lead.

It was once again Crist throwing a bomb that connected with Wheeler for a 63-yard touchdown. 

The Tian's defense was able to cause a turnover next time they were on the field, though, to gain some momentum back for their team. 

Arcadia was aggressive after the turnover, as on 4th and 8, they went for it, and it paid off.

Smith found senior wide receiver Grayson Mcintosh for a 27-yard touchdown to once again cut down Mica Mountain’s lead.

But just like they did all in the first half, Mica Mountain responded quickly and took back all the momentum that Arcadia previously had.

On the kickoff return, Mica Mountains senior kickoff returner Riley Carson was able to reverse the field and score a 99-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.  

Arcadia looked like they may have been able to add points before halftime. However, a miscommunication on offense happened as the Titans spiked the ball on fourth down and gave the ball back to Mica Mountain.

Mica Mountain had little time to do anything, so they took their lead into halftime. 

At halftime, Mica Mountain led 28-17 over Arcadia. 

The start of the third quarter looked promising for Arcadia.

Arcadia was able to get down the field methodically and even ended up near the goal line. 

However, tragedy struck as, after what was almost an eight-minute drive, Arcadia fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Mica Mountain’s senior defensive lineman Deacon Pancost. 

Even though they were backed up in their own endzone, the Thunderbolts once again found the endzone on another big-time play.

For the third time in the game, Crist connected with Wheeler on a touchdown, this time for a 96-yard touchdown. 

Even though this was Wheeler's first year playing football for Mica Mountain, his connection with Crist was strong right away, with all the extra work they put in.

“He is always willing to stay after practice, he always wants to work, and I’m so grateful for him,” Wheeler said. “He did great today, he threw great passes.” 

Mica Mountain’s dominance continued after their touchdown as they forced their second fumble of the third quarter, which was recovered by their senior defensive lineman Caden VanWinkle. 

The Thunderbolts once again capitalized on the turnover as Crist kept it himself and scampered into the endzone for a 5-yard touchdown. 

The touchdown would ultimately seal the game for Mica Mountain to sit at the top of the 4A throne for a second year in a row. 

After losing many seniors last year, not many people believed they could go back-to-back, but Mica Mountain always had faith in themselves.

“No one believed we could do it,” Raygada said. “A lot of people doubted us, but we just did it.”

Even though they had another dominant season and are once again 4A champions, the head coach for Mica Mountain, Jay Campos, wants another championship. 

“They wanted to be the team that went back-to-back; they didn’t want to be a one-and-done type of situation,” Campos said. “I told the kids tonight, we will take a week to enjoy this, now it’s time to try and go for that three-peat.”