By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
Basha needed just one more stop. But American Leadership Academy - Queen Creek proved Saturday night that was hard to come by.
The Bears had given the Patriots plenty of chances throughout the game. Penalties, broken coverages and missed tackles were the main culprits of Basha’s near-demise. But with ALA facing fourth down with just seconds remaining from the Bears’ 23, Eli Cramer-cronin knew it was time to step up.
In a game filled with explosive and big time plays, the junior defensive end delivered the most important one of the night. He chased down ALA junior quarterback Britt Dewitt, sacking him to force a turnover on downs and securing the 40-35 victory for the Bears, who now move on to face Liberty in the Open Division state championship.
"I was just trying to go get the quarterback," Cramer-cronin said. "It's a different result from last year. We made sure of it. I'm just so glad we're going to the state championship. The job isn't finished yet."
The Bears held the lead against ALA all night. They just couldn’t quite put them away.
Basha scored 17 points off of turnovers by the Patriots, who gave up the ball four total times on the night. Had any one of those not taken place, the game could have swung in ALA’s favor. That’s what makes what Basha was able to do with its back against the wall even more impressive.
The Bears showed resiliency. They showed grit. They showed why they’re playing for the state’s top trophy for the second time in three years.
"These kids found a way to win," Basha coach Chris McDonald said. "ALA is so well coached. We've gotta go back to the drawing board. Defense caused a few turnovers, which is a bright spot. We've gotta get better in some of the things we have to do."
ALA’s turnover woes began early.
The Patriots elected to receive the opening kick after winning the coin toss, hoping to make an early statement to the favored Bears. But a completed-pass-turned-fumble quickly shifted momentum to Basha’s side. It took just a few plays for the Bears to capitalize, as super sophomore running back Noah Roberts scored from 10 yards out.
ALA responded on its next drive. Dewitt led the Patriots down the field, picking apart Basha’s secondary in the process. It foreshadowed the kind of night the junior gun slinger would have.
He connected with wideout Boe Sparks for a 25-yard touchdown to even the game. The Patriot defense followed it up by forcing a Basha punt. But a fumble on their next possession once again put the Bears in scoring position. Joshua Gaines made them pay with a 4-yard touchdown run.
"It's momentum," said Vehrs, who finished 16-of-24 for 227 yards. "They fumbled and we went and scored. It was a big momentum shift."
Vehrs took over the reigns of the Basha offense after Demond Williams graduated last year. He’s a different player than Williams, but has led his team to similar success.
Saturday night, however, was his biggest challenge yet. He admits he didn’t have the performance he had aimed for, but he answered the call nonetheless.
Vehrs connected with receivers twice on the night for touchdowns. The first, a 23-yard strike to Roberts, extended the Bears lead before halftime. The second came in crunch time. Up by just four points, he found Dash Blake on third down for a 27-yard score.
The cushion proved to be the difference, especially as ALA continued to find success in the passing game.
Dewitt had plenty of opportunities in the regular season and playoffs for a breakout performance. But he chose the Open Division semifinals to truly show his talent.
He completed his first nine passes of the game. He completed 31 overall out of his 39 attempts.
Dewitt connected with Sparks twice for touchdowns of 25 and 27 yards, respectively. He found Kingston McCabe three times for scores. Overall, the junior finished with 393 passing yards, carving up Basha’s secondary and keeping the Patriots alive.
On a crucial fourth down late in the fourth quarter, he scrambled, side-stepped a defender which forced Basha defensive end Bleu Dantzler off of him, and got the first down after a 34-yard run. That set up ALA’s next series of plays inside Basha territory as the Patriots went for the win. But Basha’s defense delivered.
"This is kind of what we expected to be honest with you," McDonald said. "We had some self-inflicted wounds but at the end of the day they responded. They compete."
The trip to the Open Division state title is hardly unfamiliar territory for the Bears. Two years ago, they faced off against a surging Saguaro team, winning by holding the Sabercats at the goal line.
Last year, they fell short to Centennial, which was used as motivation throughout the off-season. But now the Bears face off against defending champion Liberty, who cruised to the title game with a dominant performance over Hamilton Saturday night in the other semifinal.
Basha has plenty to improve on. Personal fouls, pass interference and other miscellaneous errors won’t fly against a team of Liberty’s caliber. Hayden Fletcher, the Lions’ talented senior quarterback, has the ability to expose secondaries — much like he did against Hamilton.
Defensively, the Bears know they have plenty to clean up. But they managed to get the job done nonetheless.
“An ugly win is better than an ugly loss,” McDonald said. “Survive and advance."
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